THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

Biology 

BEQUEST  OF 

Theodore  S.  Palmer 


Plate  11) 


Blue  Jay 


Scarlet  Tanager 


THE   BIRDS  OF 

SOMERSET 

HILLS 

By  JOHN  DRYDEN^KUSER 


PUBLISHED   BY  THE  AUTHOR 
1912 


THE  QUINN  4  BODEN  CO.  PRESS 
HAHWAY,  N.  J. 


Kol. 


TO   THE    MEMORY    OF 

MY 
GRANDFATHER 

honorable  STofw  jf.  JSrpben 


624 


INTRODUCTION 

MY  aim  in  writing  this  book  has  been 
to  gather  together  the  facts  observed  by 
me  concerning  bird-life  in  the  Somerset 
Hills.  I  have  used  only  the  common 
names  of  the  birds,  except  in  the  com- 
plete list  in  Chapter  XIII,  where  the 
scientific  names  are  also  given. 

Whatever  I  shall  attain  by  the  writing 
of  this  book,  I  owe  to  the  help  and  en- 
couragement of  my  Mother  and  Father. 

I  am  greatly  indebted  to  Mr.  C. 
William  Beebe  for  his  valuable  criticism 
and  advice.  I  also  wish  especially  to 
thank  Miss  Lilian  G.  Cook  for  her  great 
interest  and  assistance  in  my  bird-work. 
The  colored  plates  are  the  work  of  Mr. 
Chester  A.  Reed. 

JOHN  DRYDEN  KUSER. 

BERNARDSVILLE,  N.  J. 
APRIL,  1912. 

5 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.     DESCRIPTION    OF    THE    SOMERSET 

HILLS  .         .         .         .         .         .11 

II.     BIRDS  THAT  LIVE  AROUND  HOUSES.  15 

III.  BIRDS  THAT  LIVE  IN  THE  FIELDS     .  21 

IV.  BIRDS    THAT    HAUNT    CULTIVATED 

LOCATIONS 25 

V.     BIRDS  TO  BE   FOUND    NEAR  WATER 

OR  MARSHES          ....  48 

VI.     BIRDS  THAT  LIVE  IN  THE  WOODS     .  60 

VII.     BIRDS  THAT  LIVE  IN  THE  AIR  .         .  72 

VIII.     A  SCORE  OF  RARE  BIRDS           .         .  83 

IX.     THE  INCREASE   AND    DECREASE   OF 

BIRDS   ......  101 

X.     MY  BEST  DAY'S  RECORD  .         .         .  105 
XI.     CALENDAR  OF  BIRD  MIGRATION        .  no 
PART    I.     EARLIEST  SPRING  RECORDS    .  no 
II.     LATEST  FALL  RECORDS          .  115 
III.     MONTHLY  RECORDS      .          .  118 
XII.     TERMS  USED  TO  DENOTE  THE  ABUN- 
DANCE OR  RARITY  OF  BIRDS          .  128 

XIII.  COMPLETE  LIST  OF  BIRDS  OBSERVED 

IN  THE  SOMERSET  HILLS        .  133 

XIV.  THE  HORRORS  OF   THE  TAKING  OF 

AIGRETTES    .         .         .         .  151 

7 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PLATE 

19.     Blue  Jay,  Scarlet  Tanager    .          Frontispiece 

PAGE 

Map  of  the  Somerset  Hills  .         .         .  n 

1.  House  Wren,   Robin    .         .         .         .17 

2.  Meadowlark,   Indigo  Bunting      .         .  23 

3.  Yellow-bellied     Sapsucker,     Northern 

Flicker     ......  29 

4.  Kingbird,  Cedar  Waxwing  ...  33 

5.  Baltimore  Oriole,  Orchard  Oriole         .  41 

6.  Purple  Finch,  Goldfinch       ...  47 

7.  Rose-breasted  Grosbeak,  Yellow  War- 

bler .                  .                                    .  57 

8.  Black- throated  Blue  Warbler,  Black- 

throated  Green  Warbler  ...  65 

9.  Myrtle  Warbler,  Redstart   ...  73 

10.  Catbird,  Brown  Thrasher    ...  83 

11.  Ruby-crowned  Kinglet,   Golden- 

crowned  Kinglet       ....  91 

12.  Black-capped  Chickadee,  Bluebird       .  97 

13.  Mallard  Duck,  Spotted  Sandpiper         .  105 

14.  Great  Blue  Heron,  Green  Heron         .  m 

15.  Red-winged  Blackbird,  Maryland  Yel- 

low-throat        .         .         .         .  117 


io  ILLUSTRATIONS 

PLATE  PAGE 

16.  Veery,  Hermit  Thrush        .         .         .  123 

17.  White-breasted    Nuthatch,     Downy 

Woodpecker 127 

18.  Screech  Owl,  Sharp-shinned -Hawk       .  131 

20.  Red-tailed  Hawk,   Marsh  Hawk  .  135 

21.  Sparrow  Hawk,  Ruby-throated  Hum- 

mingbird          .....  145 

22.  Barn  Swallow,  Tree  Swallow       .         .151 


BIRDS  OF  SOMERSET  HILLS 

CHAPTER  I 

DESCRIPTION    OF   THE    SOMER- 
SET  HILLS 

THE  area  covered  by  this  book,  as 
shown  in  the  adjoining  map,  is  in  Som- 
erset County  in  the  north-central  part 
of  New  Jersey.  It  is  thirty-two  miles, 
as  the  crow  flies,  in  a  westerly  direction 
from  New  York  City.  Its  altitude 
ranges  from  three  hundred  to  eight  hun- 
dred and  fifty-seven  feet.  The  country 
is  hilly,  with  many  deep  valleys,  inter- 
sected in  two  places  by  rivers — or  more 
properly  speaking,  creeks — as  they  are 
not  very  large.  One  is  in  the  eastern 


12  THE  BIRDS  OF 

part  of  the  locality,  and  the  other  is 
situated  near  the  western  boundary. 
The  first  is  the  beginning  of  the  Passaic 
River,  and  the  second  is  the  North 
Branch  of  the  Raritan  River,  which 
widens  into  Ravine  Lake  about  five 
miles  from  its  source. 

The  ground  of  the  Somerset  Hills  is 
very  stony,  but  in  a  few  places  sand- 
pits are  to  be  found. 

Chestnuts,  Oaks,  Hickories  and 
Beeches  constitute  the  main  forest  trees, 
the  first  being  the  most  plentiful.  Ever- 
greens are  scarce,  except  where  they 
have  been  planted.  There  are  a  few 
Birch  groves,  and  among  the  smaller 
trees  the  Wild-Cherry,  Sassafras,  Spice- 
Bush,  Dogwood  and  Locust  probably 
predominate.  Along  the  roads  Maples 
are  commonly  to  be  found,  and  these, 
together  with  a  few  Elms,  and  scattered 
Tulips  and  Buttonwoods,  constitute  the 


SOMERSET  HILLS  13 

main  flora  of  the  meadows  and  fields. 
On  the  farms  there  are  a  great  many 
fruit  trees:  Apples,  Pears,  Peaches  and 
Cherries.  The  principal  crops  are  Hay, 
Corn,  Rye  and  Oats.  Probably  half  of 
the  land  is  under  cultivation. 

There  are  a  few  marshes,  one  at  Ra- 
vine Lake,  one  near  Far  Hills,  and  two 
northwest  of  Bernardsville,  one  a  mile, 
and  the*  other  two  miles  away.  The 
wildest  localities  are  along  the  Passaic 
and  Raritan  rivers,  but  there  are  more 
birds  at  the  latter  place. 

The  Somerset  Hills  are  well  adapted 
to  birds — and  bird-study — not  only  be- 
cause of  the  variety  of  country  included 
therein,  but  also  from  the  fact  that  they 
are  near  enough  to  the  Hudson  and 
Delaware  rivers,  which  are  natural 
routes  for  bird  migration,  for  stray 
birds  to  often  deviate  from  those  courses, 
and  pass  through  the  Somerset  Hills. 


14    THE  BIRDS  OF  SOMERSET  HILLS 

On  the  other  hand,  they  are  close  enough 
to  the  coast  for  wandering  shore-birds 
to  stop  occasionally  at  the  water- 
ways. 


CHAPTER  II 

BIRDS  THAT  LIVE  AROUND 
HOUSES 

STARLING,  HOUSE  WREN  AND  ENGLISH  SPARROW 

AT  the  present  time  I  believe  the 
Starling,  English  Sparrow  and  House 
Wren  are  the  most  typical  house-birds. 
The  Wren  and  Sparrow  are  better 
known,  because  twenty  years  ago  the 
Starling  was  not  found  as  a  wild  bird 
in  this  country.  Time,  however,  will 
probably  make  the  Starling  more  widely 
known,  for  it  is  spreading  rapidly,  and 
it  can  apparently  adapt  itself  perfectly 
to  this  country.  When  one  sees  a  black 
bird  with  a  yellow  bill,  a  little  smaller 
than  a  Robin,  he  may  be  sure  he  has 
found  a  Starling.  These  birds  have  a 
15 


16  THE  BIRDS  OF 

squeaky  note,  which  may  often  be  heard 
under  the  eaves  of  the  house,  where  the 
Starlings  will  probably  nest,  if  there 
be  any  in  the  neighborhood. 

The  English  Sparrows  are  those  noisy, 
often  untidy  birds  that  one  sees  in  the 
city,  and  unfortunately  often  in  the 
country  too.  This  is  the  only  objection- 
able sparrow  out  of  a  dozen  or  more 
species  that  live  near  us. 

The  House  Wren  (Plate  i,  p.  17) 
is  a  summer  resident,  being  replaced 
in  the  winter  by  the  Winter  Wren, 
which  may  be  distinguished  from  the 
former  by  being  of  a  smaller  size,  hav- 
ing the  feathers  crossed  by  more  black 
bars  and  by  its  generally  darker  appear- 
ance. The  House  Wren  often  nests  in 
scarecrows  and  tin  cans,  and  if  there  be 
a  pair  of  Wrens  in  your  locality  you 
may  induce  them  to  nest  by  putting  up 
a  nesting-box. 


Plate  1 


House  Wren 


Robin 


SOMERSET  HILLS  17 

ROBIN 

To  most  people  the  Robin  (Plate  i, 
p.  17)  is  too  well  known  to  need  descrip- 
tion, and  almost  every  one  has  seen  the 
Robin's  nest,  lined  with  mud,  with  an 
inner  lining  of  soft  material  such  as 
string,  straw,  etc.,  usually  containing 
three  to  five  sky-blue  eggs,  or  later  the 
yellow,  unfledged  young  birds.  I  have 
found  their  nests  almost  completely  com- 
posed of  chicken  feathers.  In  the 
North  no  one  would  think  of  shooting 
Robins,  but  they  are  frequently  killed 
by  the  farmers  of  the  Southern  states, 
though  in  most  states  it  is  now  unlawful. 

Usually,  Robins  do  not  travel  in  very 
large  flocks,  but  once,  late  in  the  fall  of 
1910,  when  I  was  at  Ravine  Lake  at 
dusk,  thousands  of  Robins  passed  over- 
head; hundreds  more  were  lined  along 
the  banks  of  the  river,  bathing  them- 


i8  THE  BIRDS  OF 

selves;   while   numbers   of   others   were 
roosting  in  the  trees. 

PHCEBE 

This  bird  is  probably  the  best  known 
of  its  family,  the  Flycatchers.  Its 
"  phoebe  "  note  may  be  heard  from  early 
in  the  spring  to  late  in  the  fall.  This 
bird  may  be  easily  recognized  by  its 
habit  of  jerking  or  sweeping  its  tail  side- 
ways. The  nest  of  the  Phoebe  is  fre- 
quently situated  in  some  corner  of  a  shed 
or  under  a  bridge.  Both  male  and 
female  are  alike  in  color,  grayish-brown 
above,  with  the  head  darker;  grayish 
below,  shading  into  pale  yellowish.  . 

SONG  AND  CHIPPING  SPARROWS 

These  two  common  Sparrows  nest  in 
the  early  spring  within  a  short  distance 
of  your  house  if  you  live  in  the  country, 
and  a  few  of  the  former  remain  during 


SOMERSET  HILLS  19 

the  winter.  The  latter,  however,  go 
South  and  are  replaced  by  a  near  rela- 
tive, the  Tree  Sparrow.  But  this  winter 
visitor  does  not,  as  a  rule,  come  so  close 
to  houses  as  the  Chipping  Sparrow, 
usually  frequenting  the  open  fields.  It 
may  be  distinguished  from  the  Chipping 
Sparrow  by  having  a  brown,  instead  of  a 
black  line,  through  the  eye,  and  by  hav- 
ing a  black  spot  in  the  center  of  the 
breast,  which  the  Chipping  Sparrow 
lacks. 

AN  EARLY  MORNING  RECORD 

On  the  morning  of  July  the  third, 
1911,  I  awakened  unusually  early.  I 
decided  to  record  the  first  time  that 
each  species  of  bird  was  heard  singing. 
At  3:30  A.M.  a  Song  Sparrow  gave  its 
call,  which  was  the  first  sound  of  the 
day,  in  the  bird  world.  Three  minutes 
later,  at  3:33,  a  Robin  sang,  and  was 


20     THE  BIRDS  OF  SOMERSET  HILLS 

followed  at  3:38  by  a  Chipping  Spar- 
row. At  3 150  the  caw-caw,  of  the  Crow 
was  heard,  and  at  4:02  the  beautiful  song 
of  the  Wood  Thrush  came  to  my  ears. 
A  Mourning  Dove  cooed  at  4:08,  and  a 
Catbird  uttered  its  call  at  4:25.  The 
clucking  of  the  Crackle  was  heard  at 
4:30,  and  I  heard  the  Black-and-White 
Warbler's  thin  wiry  note  at  4:38,  which 
was  followed  twelve  minutes  later 
(4:50)  by  the  sad  minor  notes  of  the 
Field  Sparrow.  At  5:05  the  Warbling 
Vireo  sang  its  song,  and  the  low,  pene- 
trating and  strongly  contrasting  notes  of 
the  Pewee  fell  upon  the  air  at  5:25. 
Finally  at  5:29  A.M.  I  heard  the  nasal 
note  of  the  Nuthatch. 

While  most  of  these  are  not  typically 
"  House  Birds "  yet  they  all  feed  or 
roost  at  times  in  the  vicinity  of  our 
homes. 


CHAPTER  III 

BIRDS  THAT  LIVE  IN  THE 
FIELDS 

VESPER  SPARROW 

ONE  always  associates  this  Sparrow 
with  wild  fields.  In  looks  it  somewhat 
resembles  a  Song  Sparrow,  but  it  is 
paler,  has  no  black  breast  mark  and  the 
outer  tail-feathers  are  marked  with 
white.  Its  song  is  two  minor  notes,  fol- 
lowed by  two  loud  ones  and  ending  in 
a  medley  much  the  same  as  that  of  the 
Song  Sparrow.  The  Meadowlark  also 
has  white  in  the  outer  feathers  of  the 
tail,  but  its  larger  size  and  yellow  breast 
readily  distinguish  it. 

FIELD  SPARROW 

The  Field  Sparrow  is  only  a  summer 
resident  in  New  Jersey,  but  when  it  is 


21 


22  THE  BIRDS  OF 

here  it  is  very  common  and  its  notes 
can  be  heard  for  a  long  distance.  It 
may  be  distinguished  from  the  Chipping 
Sparrow  by  the  bill  being  pink  instead 
of  blackish,  and  by  a  more  reddish  tinge 
on  the  body.  It  also  lacks  the  chestnut 
cap  of  the  Chipping  Sparrow.  Its  nest 
is  made  of  rootlets,  grasses  and  weeds, 
in  which  it  lays  three  to  five  whitish 
eggs,  marked  with  rufous. 

GRASSHOPPER  SPARROW 

If  you  hear  a  most  unbirdlike  note  in 
the  grass  which  you  think  is  made  by 
a  grasshopper  or  cricket,  search  care- 
fully, and  you  may  find  the  smallest  of 
the  Sparrows.  It  has  been  named  the 
Grasshopper  Sparrow,  and  its  voice 
well  merits  such  a  name,  for  it  is  noth- 
ing but  a  buzz,  followed  by  an  insect- 
like  trill.  Sometimes  you  may  see  the 
bird  perched  upon  a  fence.  It  is  not 


Plate  2 


Meadowlark 


\ 


Indigo   Bunting 


SOMERSET  HILLS  23 

much  larger  than  a  Wren,  and  has  a 
very  short  tail.  Like  most  of  its  family, 
it  is  streaked  with  brown  and  black. 

i 
INDIGO  BUNTING 

If  any  two  birds  ever  represented 
colleges  I  think  they  would  be  the  In- 
digo Bunting  (Plate  2,  p.  23)  and  the 
Orange  Weaver.  The  male  of  the 
former  is  clad  in  Yale  Blue,  inhabiting 
Eastern  North  America,  while  the  male 
of  the  latter  is  an  Orange  bird  with 
black  wings  and  tail,  a  color  reproduc- 
tion of  the  Princeton  flag.  This 
Weaver,  however,  is  an  African  species. 
The  females  are  differently  colored. 

The  Indigo  Bunting  is  common  in  the 
fields  of  the  Somerset  Hills,  in  summer, 
but  it  winters  far  to  the  south  of  us. 
The  male  bird  is  described  above,  but 
the  female  is  very  different,  being  of  a 
smooth,  unstreaked  olive-brown  color. 


24     THE  BIRDS  OF  SOMERSET  HILLS 

In  the  birds  previously  mentioned  I  have 
said  nothing  in  regard  to  the  differences 
of  male  and  female,  as  there  has  been 
very  little  appreciable  distinction. 

MEADOWLARK 

I  do  not  know  of  any  sound  that  has 
greater  carrying  qualities  than  that  of 
the  Meadowlark  (Plate  2,  p.  23).  It 
can  be  heard  very  distinctly  when  one 
is  traveling  through  a  country  of  fields 
in  a  train  or  motor. 

The  Meadowlark  nests  in  grain  fields 
on  the  ground,  and  makes  a  partly 
arched  nest. 

When  singing,  the  Meadowlark 
usually  takes  a  high  perch;  generally  on 
the  very  top  of  a  tree. 


CHAPTER  IV 

BIRDS  THAT  HAUNT  CULTI- 
VATED LOCATIONS 

MOURNING  DOVE 

ONE  of  the  most  restful  sounds  in 
nature  is  the  cooing  of  the  Dove.  It 
is  lovely  to  hear  in  the  deep  woods, 
for  the  Dove  is  one  of  those  birds  whose 
song  misleads  one  as  to  the  place  from 
which  it  comes.  The  only  other  bird  of 
this  family  that  lived  in  the  Eastern 
United  States  was  the  Passenger  or 
Wild  Pigeon.  But  they  have  probably 
been  all  exterminated,  as  for  two  years 
rewards  amounting  to  over  three  thou- 
sand dollars  have  been  offered  for  in- 
formation as  to  the  location  of  an  un- 
disturbed nest  containing  eggs  or  young. 
No  nest  has  been  found. 
25 


26  THE  BIRDS  OF 

4 

In  Audubon's  time  Passenger  Pigeons 
were  to  be  found  in  millions,  and  the 
following  is  an  extract  from  the  account 
of  that  famous  naturalist:  "  In  the 
autumn  of  1813,  on  the  banks  of  the 
Ohio,  I  observed  the  Pigeons  flying 
from  north-east  to  south-west,  and  in 
greater  numbers  than  I  thought  I  had 
ever  seen  them  before,  and  feeling  an 
inclination  to  count  the  flocks  that  might 
pass  within  the  reach  of  my  eye  in  one 
hour,  I  dismounted,  seated  myself  on 
an  eminence,  and  began  to  mark  with 
my  pencil,  making  a  dot  for  every  flock 
that  passed.  In  a  short  time,  finding 
the  task  which  I  had  undertaken  im- 
practicable, as  the  birds  poured  in  in 
countless  multitudes,  I  rose,  and  count- 
ing the  dots  then  put  down,  found  that 
one  hundred  and  sixty-three  had  been 
made  in  twenty-one  minutes.  I  trav- 
eled on,  and  still  met  more  the  farther 


SOMERSET  HILLS  27 

that  I  proceeded.  The  air  was  literally 
filled  with  Pigeons;  the  light  of  noon- 
day was  obscured  as  by  an  eclipse, 
and  the  continued  buzz  of  wings  had 
a  tendency  to  lull  my  senses  to 
repose." 

The  Mourning  Dove  lays  two  pure 
white  eggs  in  a  poorly  constructed  nest 
of  sticks  not  very  high  from  the 
ground.  In  identifying  Doves  on  the 
wing,  one  has  to  be  careful  that  he 
does  not  mistake  them  for  Sparrow 
Hawks,  whose  actions  in  the  air  are 
similar  to  those  of  the  Dove. 

YELLOW-BILLED  CUCKOO 

This  is  the  commoner  Cuckoo  in 
the  Somerset  Hills,  though  I  have  sev- 
eral times  seen  the  Black-billed  Cuckoo, 
which  may  be  distinguished  by  having 
the  lower  mandible  black  instead  of 
yellow,  and  the  white  marks  on  the 


28  THE  BIRDS  OF 

under  side  of  the  tail  one-fourth  of  an 
inch  long  instead  of  one-half  of  an  inch 
long  as  in  the  Yellow-billed.  Our 
American  Cuckoos  do  not  call  their 
names  as  do  their  foreign  relatives,  but 
utter  a  note  sounding  like  Kuk-kuk-kuk- 
kuk  -  ka  -  ka  -  kow  -  kow  -  kow  becoming 
more  rapid  toward  the  end.  The  Black- 
bill's  note  is  softer  and  the  syllables  are 
more  closely  connected. 

YELLOW-BELLIED  SAPSUCKER 

This  bird  (Plate  3,  p.  29)  is  injurious 
to  trees,  as  it  sucks  the  sap  and  other 
juices  from  the  tree  by  puncturing  holes 
in  the  bark.  Often  one  sees  apple  trees 
girdled  with  holes  made  by  the  Sap- 
sucker.  This  bird  is  not  a  resident  with 
us,  stopping  only  for  a  short  time  every 
spring  and  fall,  while  traveling  from  its 
winter  to  its  summer  home  and  vice 
versa.  It  is  easily  distinguished  from 


Plate  3 


Yellow-bellied  Sapsucker 


Northern  Flicker 


SOMERSET  HILLS  29 

the  Downy  or  Hairy  Woodpecker  by  a 
broad  white  line  running  lengthwise 
along  the  wing. 


NORTHERN  FLICKER 

The  commonest  of  the  Woodpeckers, 
with  the  possible  exception  of  the 
Downy,  is  the  Flicker  (Plate  3,  p.  29). 
He  nests  near  our  homes,  and  we  may 
see  his  white  rump,  as  he  flies  from  tree 
to  tree  with  undulating  flight,  or  we  may 
hear  some  one  of  his  great  variety  of 
calls.  As  a  rule  he  nests  high  in  the 
trunk  of  a  large  tree,  though  at  times  he 
makes  a  nest  lower  down.  I  have  seen  a 
nest  only  about  five  feet  from  the  ground. 

The  Flicker  is  the  possessor  of  nu- 
merous local  names,  the  most  often  used 
of  which  are:  Golden-winged  'Wood- 
pecker, High-hole,  Yucker,  Yellow- 
hammer,  and  Clape.  The  male  has  a 


30  THE  BIRDS  OF 

black  line   down  the  side  of  the   head 
which  the  female  lacks. 

KINGBIRD 

A  good  many  birds  have  white  outer 
tail-feathers,  but  few  have  a  band  of 
white,  about  a  fourth  of  an  inch  in 
width,  at  the  end  of  the  tail,  such  as  the 
Kingbird  (Plate  4,  p.  33).  It  is  one  of 
his  distinguishing  field  marks.  Both 
male  and  female  are  alike,  plain  gray- 
black  above,  a  silky,  unmarked  white 
breast,  and  a  red  patch  on  the  top  of  the 
head,  which  the  birds  usually  conceal. 
In  defending  their  nests  against  the  at- 
tacks of  Hawks,  Crows  and  other  large 
birds,  Kingbirds  show  marvelous  cour- 
age and  strength,  for  it  is  a  common 
sight  to  see  one  or  more  Kingbirds  driv- 
ing away  a  Crow. 


SOMERSET  HILLS  31 

CRESTED  FLYCATCHER 

The  one  strange  thing  about  this  Fly- 
catcher is  its  nest.  It  is  usually  built  in 
a  hollow  in  some  tree  and  nearly  always 
has  part  of  the  skin  of  a  snake  in  it 
The  note  of  this  bird  is  a  shrill,  piercing 
whistle,  and  following  it  up  we  find  a 
bird  with  brown  back,  gray  breast,  and 
yellow  belly,  with  chestnut  in  the  tail- 
feathers.  It  has  the  habit  of  raising 
the  crest  when  excited. 

LEAST  FLYCATCHER 

The  Least  Flycatcher  is  often  called 
Chebec,  from  its  call-note,  which  some- 
what resembles  a  sneeze.  This  bird  is 
the  smallest  of  the  Flycatchers  that 
I  have  mentioned.  It  is  by  no  means 
a  shy  bird,  living  near  habitations,  one 
of  its  favorite  resorts  being  an  orchard. 
It  builds  its  nest  in  a  sapling  eight  to 
twenty-five  feet  from  the  ground.  The 


32  THE  BIRDS  OF 

eggs  are  white,  three  to  five  in  number. 
This  Flycatcher  arrives  about  the  first 
of  May,  and  departs  about  the  middle 
of  September. 

COWBIRD 

When  one  sees  a  flock  of  black  birds 
following  a  cow  and  picking  the  in- 
sects from  her  they  are  usually  Cow- 
birds.  These  birds  have  the  habit  of 
the  European  Cuckoo,  namely,  of  mak- 
ing no  nest,  but  instead  the  female  lays 
her  eggs  in  the  nests  of  smaller  birds, 
such  as  Chipping  Sparrows,  Warblers, 
Vireos,  Indigo  Buntings,  etc.  They  lay 
a  white  egg  streaked  with  brown.  The 
male  bird  is  black  with  a  dark  brown 
head  and  the  female  is  grayish  brown. 
Although  the  Cowbirds  are  beneficial 
in  respect  to  their  food,  they  are  very 
harmful  as  regards  their  nesting  habit, 
for  the  young  Cowbird,  being  larger 


Plate  4 


Kingbird 


Cedar  Waxwing 


SOMERSET  HILLS  33 

than  the  other  nestlings,  gets  most  of  the 
food,  and  consequently  the  young  of  the 
rightful  owners  of  the  nest  ultimately 
perish.  It  is  a  common  sight  to  see  a 
tiny  bird,  such  as  a  Redstart,  feeding 
a  large,  ugly,  young  Cowbird,  almost 
three  times  the  adult  Redstart's  size. 

CARDINAL 

This  bird  is  commonly  seen  in  cages 
and  often  seen  wild  in  the  South,  but  it 
is  rather  a  rare  bird  in  New  Jersey, 
seldom  coming  as  far  north  as  New 
York  City,  but  by  carefully  searching 
the  thickets  above  Ravine  Lake,  one 
mile  northeast  of  Peapack,  I  can  find 
them  at  almost  any  season  of  the  year, 
for  I  have  seen  them  there  in  every 
month  of  the  year  except  January,  Feb- 
ruary, July  and  September.  I  have,  at 
times,  seen  two  males  and  two  females 
together  there. 


34  THE  BIRDS  OF 

CEDAR  WAXWING 

Of  all  the  birds  of  Somerset  Hills, 
Waxwings  and  Goldfinches  nest  the 
latest  in  the  summer,  not  starting  to 
build  until  July.  The  appearance  of 
the  Waxwing  (Plate  4,  p.  33)  is  always 
neat.  His  trim  brown  body,  with  a  yel- 
low band  on  the  end  of  the  tail,  makes 
him  easily  distinguishable.  The  Cedar 
Waxwing  gets  the  first  part  of  his  name 
from  the  fact  of  his  feeding  largely  on 
cedar  berries,  though,  when  they  are  in 
season,  he  frequently  eats  cherries  and 
strawberries.  The  latter  part  of  his 
name  comes  from  the  fact  that  some  in- 
dividuals have  red,  waxlike  tips  on  the 
secondary  feathers  of  the  wings. 

WOOD  PEWEE 

I  always  associate  this  bird  with  hot 
sultry  summer  days  when  his  long 
drawn  out  Pee-ee-wee  seems  especially 


SOMERSET  HILLS  35 

appropriate  to  that  sort  of  weather.  He 
builds  a  small  neat  nest,  rather  far  out 
on  the  branch  of  some  high  tree.  This 
bird  resembles  the  Phoebe  in  size  and 
coloring,  but  differs  in  having  a  gray 
instead  of  a  black  crown,  nor  does  it 
have  the  Phoebe's  habit  of  jerking  its 
tail. 

WARBLERS 

The  Redstart,  Black  and  White, 
Yellow,  Chestnut-sided,  Black-throated 
Blue,  Black-throated  Green,  Myrtle, 
and  Black-poll  Warblers  are  among  the 
most  frequently  seen  of  their  family  in 
the  locality  of  which  I  am  writing. 
Most  species  of  Warblers  are  rare,  and 
among  the  kinds  I  have  mentioned 
above  only  the  first  four  are  here 
in  summer.  The  Yellow  Warbler 
(Plate  7,  p.  57)  is  yellow  with  chestnut 
streaks  on  the  breast.  The  Chestnut- 


36  THE  BIRDS  OF 

sided  has  a  white  breast  and  the  flanks 
are  marked  with  chestnut;  its  back  is 
streaked  and  it  has  a  yellow  crown. 
The  Redstart  (Plate  9,  p.  73),  which 
is  the  most  common,  is  black  with  a 
white  breast,  and  is  brightly  colored  on 
the  sides,  wings  and  tail  with  salmon. 
The  Black  and  White  Warbler,  or 
Creeper  as  he  is  sometimes  miscalled, 
is  a  bird  about  the  usual  Warbler  size, 
streaked  with  black  and  white.  He 
acts  Nuthatch  fashion,  climbing  over 
the  trunks  of  trees.  The  call  of  the 
Myrtle  Warbler  (Plate  9,  p.  73)  is  one 
of  the  most  readily  distinguishable, 
being  singularly  unlike  the  notes  of 
most  of  the  other  Warblers.  The  male 
is  gray  above  and  white  beneath,  with 
black  on  the  breast.  There  are  two 
white  wing-bars.  The  sides,  crown  and 
rump  are  adorned  by  bright  yellow  spots 
about  the  size  of  a  nickel.  The  female 


SOMERSET  HILLS  37 

is  brown  where  the  male  is  black,  but 
otherwise  is  similar.  The  beautiful 
male  Black-throated  Blue  Warbler 
(Plate  8,  p.  65),  with  a  blue  back,  white 
belly,  black  throat  and  sides,  forms  a 
strong  contrast  to  his  plainly  colored 
mate,  who  is  brown,  with  but  one  mark 
like  the  male.  This  is  a  large  white 
spot  on  the  wing. 

The  Black-throated  Green  Warbler 
(Plate  8,  p.  65),  whose  patterns  are  simi- 
lar to  the  Black-throated  Blue,  is  col- 
ored with  a  green  in  place  of  a  blue 
back  and  besides  has  bright  yellow 
cheeks.  The  female  of  this  species  is 
green  on  her  back,  but  has  only  a  few 
faint  streaks  on  her  breast.  Her  yellow 
cheeks  are  not  as  bright  as  those  of  the 
male.  One  may  confuse  the  male  Black- 
poll  Warbler  with  the  Black  and  White, 
for  they  are  alike  in  coloring,  but  not  in 
actions.  The  former  hops  from  place 


38  THE  BIRDS  OF 

to  place  in  the  branches  of  the  trees, 
whereas  the  latter  creeps  over  the  trunks 
of  the  trees.  One  mark  distinguishes 
them;  the  crown  of  the  former  is  jet 
black  and  the  crown  of  the  latter  is 
striped  black  and  white.  The  female 
Black-poll  is  olive  green. 

VIREOS 

The  two  most  common  Vireos  of 
the  Somerset  Hills  are  the  Red-eyed  and 
Yellow-throated.  The  first  has  a  gray 
back  and  silky  white  breast,  with  a  white 
line  underscored  by  a  black  one  above 
the  eye.  The  second  or  Yellow-throated 
Vireo  is  green  on  the  back  and  has  a 
bright  yellow  breast.  This  is  the 
smaller  species.  The  Vireos  build  a 
hanging  nest  attached  in  three  or  four 
places  to  a  branch,  and  frequently  con- 
taining birch  bark  in  its  composition. 


SOMERSET  HILLS  39 

KINGLETS 

These  birds  (Plate  n,  p.  91)  are  even 
more  tiny  than  the  smallest  of  the  War- 
blers and  have  still  thinner  bills  and  are 
more  active,  scarcely  ever  staying  in  one 
place  a  moment.  Both  species  have 
brightly  colored  crowns,  one  gold  and 
the  other  red,  according  to  their  names, 
Golden-crowned  and  Ruby-crowned 
Kinglet.  The  former  stays  here  all  win- 
ter, but  the  latter,  although  he  stays  late, 
finally  deserts  us  for  a  warmer  clime. 
The  song  of  the  Ruby-crowned  is  won- 
derful in  its  variety,  but  the  Golden- 
crown's  note  is  a  simple  Tee-tee-tee. 

ROSE-BREASTED  GROSBEAK 
The  gaudy  color  of  the  male,  together 
with  his  size,  conspicuousness  and  song, 
makes  him  one  of  the  most  admired  of 
birds  (Plate  7,  p.  57).  As  he  flies,  his 
flashing  black  and  white  contrast 


40  THE  BIRDS  OF 

strongly  with  his  red  breast,  and  when 
perched,  all  his  colors  stand  out  splen- 
didly against  the  green  foliage.  How 
proudly  he  sits,  singing  his  clear  melody 
to  his  nearby  mate,  who  is  brooding  on 
a  set  of  blue  eggs  marked  with  brown. 
She  is  streaked  with  brown,  and  when 
on  the  nest  is  practically  invisible.  The 
male  often  incubates  and  notwithstand- 
ing his  bright  colors  he  is  not  conspicu- 
ous, as  he  sits  low  and  all  that  shows  is 
his  black  back. 

SPARROWS,  FINCHES,  TOWHEE  AND  JUNCO 

The  White-throated  Sparrow  comes 
to  us  in  September  and  stays  until  the 
next  May.  Its  song  is  a  clear  whistle. 
With  the  exception  of  the  Junco  this 
is  the  most  common  bird  of  its  family 
in  the  winter.  It  is  streaked  brown 
above  and  gray  below,  with  a  white 
throat  colored  on  both  sides  by  yellow 


Plate  5 


Baltimore    Oriole 


Orchard   Oriole 


SOMERSET  HILLS  41 

lores.  The  female  is  the  same,  though 
paler. 

We  hear  a  rustling  in  the  leaves. 
What  is  it?  A  person's  footsteps,  a  rab- 
bit, squirrel,  or  what? — no,  it  is  none 
of  these;  it  is  merely  a  Fox  Sparrow, 
though  you  think  it  impossible  after 
hearing  such  a  noise.  He  is  reddish- 
brown  above,  and  beneath  gray,  spotted 
and  streaked  with  reddish-brown.  This 
is  the  largest  of  the  Sparrows,  and  his 
long  tail  makes  him,  at  first  sight,  look 
like  a  Thrasher  or  Hermit  Thrush.  He 
does  not  remain  with  us,  either  winter 
or  summer,  but  lets  us  see  him  for  an  all 
too  brief  period  in  the  spring  and  fall. 

When  the  foliage  begins  to  turn  from 
green  to  red,  yellow  and  purple,  when 
the  honking  of  the  migrating  Geese  fly- 
ing southward  attracts  our  attention,  and 
when  the  ice  forms  on  lakes,"  rivers  and 
ponds  we  expect  the  Slate-colored 


42  THE  BIRDS  OF 

Junco;  indeed  he  is  often  one  of  the 
earliest  indications  of  winter,  and  stays 
with  us  through  the  most  severe  weather. 
He  is  gray  on  the  back  and  breast,  and 
white  on  the  belly  and  the  outer  tail- 
feathers. 

Thickets,  brush-heaps  and  second- 
growth  woodland  are  haunts  of  the  Tow- 
hee.  Its  tail  is  like  the  Junco  in  regard 
to  the  outer  feathers.  The  male  has  the 
back,  throat  and  wings  black,  with 
white  wing-bars.  The  belly  is  white, 
marked  with  rufous  on  the  sides.  The 
female  is  brown  where  the  male  is  black, 
but  otherwise  is  the  same. 

That  beautiful  little  bird,  the  Gold- 
finch (Plate  6,  p.  47),  remains  through 
the  hot  days  of  summer  and  through  the 
icy  days  of  winter,  but  during  the  latter 
time  he  is  not  the  bright  yellow  and 
black  bird  that  we  are  familiar  with  in 
summer,  for  he  has  changed  his  garb  to 


SOMERSET  HILLS  43 

a  plain  olive  green,  like  the  costume  of 
his  mate.  His  note  is  a  Pe-che-che-che! 
and  his  flight  is  swift  and  undulating. 

The  so-called  Purple  Finch  (Plate  6, 
p.  47)  is  not  purple  at  all,  but  a  shade 
of  pink.  He  is  a  permanent  resident 
with  us.  The  female  is  striped  with 
brown,  like  the  Sparrows,  but  may  be 
told  from  them  by  her  thicker  bill  and 
heavier  streaks.  The  Purple  Finches 
are  seed-eaters,  feeding  to  a  great  extent 
on  the  seeds  of  the  ash,  and  on  the 
berries  of  the  cedar. 

CATBIRD  AND  BROWN  THRASHER 

These  birds  (Plate  10,  p.  83)  are 
closely  related  to  the  small  Wren.  The 
Catbird  is  the  nearest  Northern  rep- 
resentative of  the  well-known  Mocking- 
bird, for  although  the  latter  occasionally 
strays  as  far  north  as  New  England,  it 
cannot  be  counted  as  a  northern  bird. 


44  THE  BIRDS  OF 

The  Catbird  and  Thrasher  are  wonder- 
ful mimics  like  the  Mockingbird.  The 
Brown  Thrasher  is  often  called  the 
Brown  Thrush,  but  it  is  not  a  Thrush 
at  all.  Its  colors  are  somewhat  thrush- 
like,  but  its  voice  is  not.  It  may  also  be 
easily  told  by  having  a  bright  rufous 
back,  a  very  long  tail  and  having  streaks, 
not  spots  like  the  Thrush,  on  its  breast. 

BLUEBIRD 

The  appearance  of  the  Bluebird 
(Plate  12,  p.  97)  is  a  well-known  omen 
of  the  spring,  but  the  Bluebird  really 
stays  with  us  all  winter,  though  it  is  not 
often  seen  until  early  spring.  Blue- 
birds generally  nest  in  holes  in  trees, 
often  those  left  by  Woodpeckers,  or  they 
will  sometimes  nest  in  birdhouses. 
Their  note  is  Tru-u-lee,  which  they  fre- 
quently give  while  flying  through  the 
air.  The  Bluebird  is  colored  sky-blue 


SOMERSET  HILLS  45 

above  and  earth-brown  below,  the  latter 
shading  to  cream-color  on  the  belly. 

CHICKADEE 

While  walking  along  in  mid-winter, 
with  the  cold  fairly  piercing  one's  cloth- 
ing, and  seeming  to  reach  the  very  bone, 
is  there  anything  more  inspiring  than  to 
see  a  flock  of  Chickadees  (Plate  12,  p. 
97)  busily  feeding;  the  little  balls  of 
feathers  not  seeming  to  feel  the  cold  by 
which  we  are  chilled.  They  apparently 
care  not  what  the  temperature  is,  for 
they  sing  their  clear  whistle,  or  give 
their  Chick-a-dee-dee-dee  note  at  any 
time  of  the  year.  In  summer  they  are 
rarely  seen,  and  one  would  think  that 
they  had  left  the  place,  but  they  have 
not.  They  have  gone  only  to  more  se- 
cluded spots,  in  which  to  rear  their 
young. 


46  THE  BIRDS  OF 

ORCHARD  AND  BALTIMORE  ORIOLES 
The  Baltimore  Oriole  is  the  brighter 
of  our  two  northern  Orioles  (Plate  5, 
p.  41).  The  male  is  orange,  with  black 
wings  and  tail,  and  his  song  shows  his 
animated  nature  as  well  as  his  color, 
for  it  is  clear  and  bright.  How  one 
misses  it  when  the  bird  leaves,  and  he 
leaves  early,  for  the  South!  The  female 
is  dull  yellow.  The  male  Orchard 
Oriole  is  chestnut  where  the  Balti- 
more is  orange.  The  female  is  greener 
than  the  Baltimore  female.  The  young 
male  for  two  years  is  like  the  female, 
but  with  a  black  throat.  The  Baltimore 
is  the  commoner  in  the  Somerset  Hills. 
It  builds  a  hanging  nest  about  five  inches 
deep,  and  usually  gray  in  color.  The 
Orchard  builds  a  partly  hung  nest,  un- 
like that  of  the  Baltimore.  The  Or- 
chard's song  is  so  much  like  that  of 
the  Rose-breasted  Grosbeak  that  it  is 


Plate  fi 


Purple   Finch 


Goldfinch 


SOMERSET  HILLS  47 

sometimes    difficult    to    distinguish    be- 
tween them. 

BRONZED  AND  PURPLE  CRACKLES 

There  are  two  kinds  of  Grackles,  the 
Purple  and  Bronzed,  but  it  is  exceed- 
ingly difficult  to  tell  them  apart,  and 
it  is  wise  for  beginners  not  to  try. 
Grackles  '  always  associate  with  one 
another,  one  hardly  ever  seeing  one 
alone.  They  migrate,  spend  the  winter 
and  nest  in  flocks.  Their  note  is  a 
guttural  cluck.  They  occasionally  make 
themselves  objectionable  by  eating  the 
eggs  of  small  birds.  At  a  distance  the 
color  of  the  Crackle  is  apparently  black, 
but  on  nearer  approach  we  find  that 
they  are  marked  by  the  most  beautiful 
iridescent  colors,  green,  blue,  purple, 
and  bronze. 


CHAPTER  V 

BIRDS  TO  BE  FOUND  NEAR 
WATER  OR  MARSHES 

ALL  of  the  birds  in  this  chapter  have 
been  seen  and  identified  around  the 
lower  entrance  of  "  Blairsden,"  near  the 
so-called  Smith  Picnic  Grounds  at  the 
upper  end  of  Ravine  Lake.  It  is  the 
best  place  that  I  have  ever  found  for 
seeing  new  and  rare  species  of  birds, 
and  for  studying  the  habits  of  birds.  It 
is  singularly  well  adapted  to  bird-study, 
having  a  lake,  river,  marsh,  thicket, 
fields  and  woods  in  close  proximity  to 
one  another.  I  have  recorded  no  less 
than  one  hundred  kinds  of  birds  there. 
I  believe  that  no  matter  at  what  time  of 

the  year  one  goes  there  he  will  be  able 

48 


THE  BIRDS  OF  SOMERSET  HILLS    49 

to  find  birds,  for  I  have  been  at  this 
place  in  every  month  except  February, 
at  most  times  of  the  day,  varying  from 
nine  in  the  morning  to  half-past  six 
at  night.  In  most  months  I  have  gone 
at  least  six  times  for  the  last  two  years. 
I  have  been  there  in  a  heavy  snowstorm, 
with  the  thermometer  at  20  degrees,  and 
at  the  hottest  part  of  the  hottest  sum- 
mer days,  with  the  thermometer  at  98 
degrees.  I  have  been  there  when  the 
trees  are  opening  their  buds  in  spring, 
and  during  the  autumn  when  the  woods 
are  colored  by  red,  yellow  and  purple 
leaves.  Notwithstanding  the  variety  of 
time,  season  or  weather,  I  have  always 
found  that  there  were  more  birds  there 
than  at  any  other  place  that  I  know 
of  in  the  territory  covered  by  this 
book. 

I  shall  never  forget  one  day  in  the  fall 
of    1910.      It  was   at   sunset.      Looking 


50  THE  BIRDS  OF 

westward,  I  beheld  the  sun,  a  ball  of 
fire,  passing  from  sight  behind  a  distant 
hill,  and  turning  my  head  to  look  across 
the  lake,  I  saw  a  most  wonderful 
sight.  At  this  late  hour,  the  sun  cast  a 
red  hue  over  all  that  it  illuminated. 
Part  of  the  trees  on  the  opposite  shore 
were  obscured  from  the  sun's  rays  by 
other  trees.  The  colors  of  the  turning 
leaves  which  the  sunshine  touched  were 
magnified  by  the  red  hue,  and  were  set 
out  against  a  background  of  leaves  that 
were  still  green.  A  section  of  the  water 
that  was  shadowed  by  the  hill  was  black 
as  night,  and  the  water  that  received  the 
rays  of  the  fast  disappearing  sun  re- 
flected perfectly  the  wonderful  coloring 
of  the  leaves.  That  part  of  the  lake 
which  was  neither  in  sunshine  nor 
shadow  was  green  and  blue.  Not  a 
ripple  stirred  the  water.  The  wind  was 
still,  and  there  arose  a  chorus  of  the 


SOMERSET  HILLS  51 

voices  of  Ducks,  Blackbirds,  King- 
fishers and  other  creatures  that  were 
preparing  for  sleep.  Dozens  of  un- 
familiar sounds  came  to  my  ears.  They 
might  have  been  made  by  rare  birds, 
which  I  had  never  seen.  Who  knows? 
Finally  darkness  put  an  end  to  this 
sight,  one  which  I  shall  always  re- 
member. 

HERONS 

The  Great  Blue  Heron  (Plate  14, 
p.  in)  is  the  largest  of  our  three 
Herons.  His  chief  color  is  light  blue, 
and  he  stands  almost  four  feet  high. 
His  food,  like  that  of  the  rest  of  his 
family,  is  composed  mostly  of  frogs  and 
fish.  He  wades  through  the  water  and 
seizes  them  with  his  long  pointed  beak. 
These  Herons  nest  in  trees,  where,  in 
small  colonies,  they  build  large  rough 
platforms  of  sticks.  Their  call  is  a 
peculiar  quawk. 


52  THE  BIRDS  OF 

The  small  Green  Heron  (Plate  14, 
p.  in)  is  not  half  the  size  of  the  Great 
Blue.  This  bird  is  green  and  blue  with 
rufous  markings  on  the  shoulders.  Gen- 
erally they  live  in.  small  marshes,  but 
last  summer  there  were  six  of  them  at 
Ravine  Lake.  Their  call  is  very  similar 
to  that  of  the  Great  Blue,  as  is  also  that 
of  the  Black-crowned  Night  Heron,  a 
bird  considerably  larger  than  the  Green, 
but  not  equaling  the  size  of  the  Great 
Blue  Heron.  The  Black-crowned  Night 
is  silky  white  below,  and  gray  and  black 
above,  with  a  black  crown.  During  the 
nights  of  the  spring  and  fall  we  often 
hear  the  quawks  of  migrating  Night 
Herons,  and  as  they  fly  low,  we  may  pos- 
sibly see  them. 

OTHER  FISH  EATERS 

The  food  of  the  Osprey  or  Fish  Hawk, 
and  of  the  Kingfisher,  consists  wholly  of 


SOMERSET  HILLS  53 

fish.  However,  these  birds  are  protected 
by  law,  and  may  not  be  shot. 

The  Kingfishers  live  around  small 
lakes,  ponds  and  streams,  watching  for 
their  prey;  and  as  soon  as  they  see  it, 
diving  into  the  water  to  capture  it.  To 
make  their  nest  Kingfishers  burrow  into 
a  bank  for  several  feet,  where  they  lay 
their  eggs.  Both  male  and  female  are 
the  same,  with  the  exception  that  the 
former  has  a  dark-blue,  and  the  latter  a 
brown  band  across  the  breast. 

The  Osprey  rarely  comes  far  inland, 
though  I  know  of  one  being  seen  sixty 
miles  from  the  ocean,  and  every  year 
there  are  some  at  Ravine  Lake,  eleven 
having  been  seen  there  in  the  spring  of 
1911.  The  nest  of  the  Osprey  is  an 
enormous  accumulation  of  branches, 
leaves  and  sticks,  usually  built  in  a  tree. 


54  THE  BIRDS  OF 

MALLARD  AND  CANADA  GOOSE 

The  Mallard  (Plate  13,  p.  105)  is 
now  common  at  Ravine  Lake,  because 
a  few  pairs  were  liberated  there  several 
years  ago,  and  they  have  increased 
rapidly.  The  body  of  the  male  is  green, 
black  and  brown,  with  a  beautiful  em- 
erald green  head,  which  is  separated 
from  the  body  by  a  white  neck  ring. 
The  female  and  young  are  dark  brown. 
These  ducks  stay  almost  all  the  year. 
The  usual  size  of  the  Mallard  is  twenty- 
three  inches,  but  a  friend  of  mine,  John 
B.  Clark,  of  Bernardsville,  New  Jersey, 
has  crossed  some  with  the  White  Pekin 
Duck;  and  the  young  are  the  size  of  the 
latter.  In  captivity  young  Mallards 
sometimes  dive  under  the  water  like 
Grebes,  head  foremost,  but  I  have  never 
seen  the  old  birds  do  it.  To  a  great 
many  people,  the  V-shaped  flocks  of 
Geese  flying  over  in  migration  are  a 


SOMERSET  HILLS  55 

familiar  sight,  but  strange  to  say,  I 
have  never  chanced  to  see  a  flock  of 
them.  I  have  seen  only  one  bird,  in 

December,  1909,  at  Ravine  Lake. 

a 

SPOTTED  SANDPIPER 

This  Sandpiper  (Plate  13,  p.  105)  is 
commonly  called  "  Snipe,"  but  the  real 
Snipe  is  a  migrant,  and  a  larger,  darker 
and  rarer  bird  than  the  Spotted  Sand- 
piper. These  Sandpipers  "  teeter,"  sin- 
gly, or  in  pairs,  along  the  banks  of  our 
streams,  but  when  any  one  approaches, 
they  fly  swiftly  away,  uttering  a  queer 
rattling  note  as  they  go.  Their  call 
sounds  to  me  like  the  piping  of  young 
frogs  in  the  spring.  They  were  formerly 
more  common  at  Ravine  Lake  than  they 
are  now.  Occasionally  I  see  other 
species  of  Sandpipers  there  during  mi- 
gration. 


56  THE  BIRDS  OF 

WATER-THRUSHES 

The  actions  of  these  birds  are  similar 
to  those  of  the  Sandpiper,  but  the  Water- 
Thrush  moves  its  tail  more  and  its  body 
less,  whereas  it  is  vice  versa  with  the 
Sandpiper.  This  is  not  a  Thrush  as  its 
name  would  imply,  but  a  Warbler. 
There  are  two  kinds  of  these  birds:  the 
Louisiana  Water-Thrush,  which  is  a 
summer  resident,  and  the  Northern 
Water-Thrush,  which  is  a  migrant  in 
New  Jersey.  During  the  spring  of  1911, 
I  found  the  nest  of  a  Louisiana  Water- 
Thrush  at  Ravine  Lake,  and  took  several 
photographs  of  it.  The  dates  concern- 
ing it  were  as  follows: 

May  21 — Nest  found  with  4  eggs. 
Male  and  female  near. 

May  22 — i  bird  seen  near  nest. 

May  29 — i  bird  on  nest.    5  eggs. 

May    30 — i    bird    on    nest.      Stayed 


Plate  7 


Rose-breasted   Grosbeak 


Yellow  Warbler 


SOMERSET  HILLS  57 

until  camera  was  placed  within  15 
inches. 

One  day  between  May  29  and  June 
4>  7  eg§s  were  seen  in  nest  and  i  broken 
egg  on  path  near  nest 

June  4 — Several  young  hatched.  One 
apparently  just  out  of  shell.  Old  birds 
near. 

June  12 — Female  near  nest.  Several 
young  heard  in  neighborhood.  Nest 
empty,  except  i  infertile  egg. 

ROUGH-WINGED  SWALLOW 

This  bird  often  nests  like  a  King- 
fisher, in  a  hole  in  a  bank.  I  have 
never  seen  the  similar  and  usually  more 
common  Bank  Swallow  in  the  Somerset 
Hills,  whereas  the  Rough-winged  are  at 
Ravine  Lake  in  summer.  Both  of  these 
Swallows  are  dark  brown  above,  but  the 
Rough-winged  differs  from  the  Bank 
in  having  a  gray  breast  instead  of  a 


58  THE  BIRDS  OF 

white  one.  The  white  breast  of  the 
Bank  Swallow  is  crossed  by  a  brown 
band. 

MARYLAND  YELLOW-THROAT 

Walking  along  the  edges  of  a  meadow 
we  hear  "  Wit-che-ty,  <wit-che-ty,  wit- 
che-ty  "  or  "  Come-see-me,  come-see-me, 
come-see  me"  as  it  is  translated  by  va- 
rious authors.  We  may  see  the  Yellow- 
throat  (Plate  15,  p.  117)  as  it  appears 
out  of  the  bushes  for  a  moment.  If  it 
is  a  male  it  will  be  olive  above  and 
yellow  below,  with  black  cheeks  and 
forehead.  The  female  differs  in  having 
no  black,  and  being  of  a  paler  hue. 

RED-WINGED  BLACKBIRD 

The  male  of  this  species  (Plate  15, 
p.  117)  is  a  very  striking  bird,  black, 
with  patches  of  red  and  yellow  at  the 
base  of  his  wings.  After  seeing  him, 


SOMERSET  HILLS  59 

no  one  would  suppose  that  the  gray  bird, 
streaked  with  brown,  which  may  be  seen 
near  him,  is  his  mate.  These  Blackbirds 
nest  in  a  swamp,  on  some  tussock,  in  a 
bush,  or  among  the  reeds.  The  notes  of 
the  Red-wing  are  a  cluck,  and  an  "  O-ka- 
lee."  In  the  fall  Red-wings  desert  the 
small  swamps  in  which  they  nested,  and 
gather  in  large  flocks,  like  all  Black- 
birds, prior  to  leaving  for  the  South. 


CHAPTER  VI 

BIRDS  THAT  LIVE  IN  THE 
WOODS 

THRUSHES 

WHAT  is  so  beautiful  to  hear  on  a 
summer's  evening  as  the  song  of  a 
Thrush?  The  melody  of  the  Wood 
Thrush  is  peaceful,  clear  and  bell- 
like.  I  remember  one  evening,  when 
I  was  fishing  at  a  lake,  which  is  sur- 
rounded by  woods,  in  the  mountains 
of  Pennsylvania.  The  sun  had  set,  and 
the  moon  was  rising.  First  one  Wood 
Thrush  would  sing  close  by,  then  one 
far  off  would  answer,  after  which  a  bird 
between  these  two  would  call;  and  with 
scarcely  any  sound  to  interrupt  them, 

four    or   five   sang    their   lovely   songs. 
60 


THE  BIRDS  OF   SOMERSET  HILLS    61 

The  Wood  Thrush  is  reddish  brown 
above — redder  and  brighter  towards  the 
crown — and  white  below,  heavily  marked 
with  arrow-shaped  black  marks.  This 
Thrush  usually  builds  its  nest  in  a 
sapling.  Its  eggs  are  blue.  Besides  its 
song  it  has  an  alarm  and  other  notes. 

The  song  of  the  Veery  (Plate  16,  p. 
123)  is  different  from  that  of  the  Wood 
Thrush,  and  by  some  people  is  thought 
to  excel  it  in  beauty.  This  song  is  flute- 
like.  Starting  very  low,  and  traveling 
higher  and  higher,  it  ends  on  a  single 
high  note.  The  Veery  frequents  low, 
wet  woods,  where  it  builds  its  nest  on 
the  ground,  or  very  near  to  it,  often  on  a 
tussock.  The  Veery  is  colored  with  an 
even  cinnamon-brown  above  and  has  a 
cream-colored  breast,  with  faint  brown- 
ish spots. 

The  Hermit  Thrush  (Plate  16,  p. 
123)  is  credited  with  having  the  most 


62  THE  BIRDS  OF 

beautiful  song  of  North  American  birds. 
I  have  always  hoped  to  hear  it,  but  thus 
far  never  have.  The  back  of  this 
Thrush  is  dark  brown,  brighter  on  the 
tail.  Its  breast  is  gray,  spotted  with 
black.  It  is  only  a  migrant  in  the  Som- 
erset Hills. 

NUTHATCHES 

How  can  Nuthatches  balance  them- 
selves when  they  walk  head-foremost 
down  the  trunk  of  a  tree?  Wood- 
peckers climb  only  upward,  and  hold 
themselves  by  their  tail,  which  has  the 
tips  of  the  feathers  pointed.  The  Nut- 
hatches hold  themselves  only  by  their 
feet.  Their  tail  is  square. 

The  Red-breasted  and  White-breasted 
Nuthatches  have  bluish  gray  backs  and 
black  crowns  with  white  throats.  The 
former  may  be  distinguished  from 
the  latter  by  having  a  reddish-brown, 


SOMERSET  HILLS  63 

instead  of  a  white  belly,  and  a  white 
line  over  the  eye,  underscored  by  a 
black  one,  the  latter  running  through 
the  eye.  Nuthatches  nest  in  holes  in 
trees,  often  those  that  have  been  bored 
and  deserted  by  Woodpeckers.  The 
notes  of  both  species  are  a  nasal  "yank- 
yank"  although  the  Red-breast's  call  is 

thinner  and  more  nasal. 

j 

WOODPECKERS  AND  THE  CREEPER 
The  Downy  (Plate  17,  p.  127)  and 
Hairy  Woodpeckers  are  striped  black 
and  white  on  the  head,  back,  wings  and 
tail.  The  breast  is  white.  The  males 
have  a  patch  of  scarlet  on  their  crown, 
but  this  the  females  lack.  With  the  ex- 
ception of  the  slight  difference  in  the 
markings  of  the  tail,  there  is  no  differ- 
ence in  the  color  of  the  Downy  and 
Hairy  Woodpeckers,  but  the  much 
larger  size  of  the  latter  readily  dis- 


64  THE  BIRDS  OF 

tinguishes  it.  These  two  Woodpeckers 
have  a  rattle  and  a  sharp  click  for  calls. 
The  Downy  Woodpecker  comes  to  our 
lawns  and  gardens,  and  if  one  places 
food  outside  when  there  is  snow  on  the 
ground,  these  birds  will  frequently  feed 
at  one's  very  door.  The  Hairy,  how- 
ever, is  shyer,  and  prefers  the  forest, 
though  when  food  is  scarce,  he  too, 
occasionally  comes  near  the  house. 

The  Brown  Creeper  is  slightly  larger 
than  the  Red-breasted  Nuthatch,  and 
is  streaked  with  brown,  the  rump  being 
of  a  reddish  tint.  It  is  a  migrant  here, 
and  is  a  hard  bird  to  observe,  for  when 
one  comes  near,  it  is  very  apt  to  climb 
around  to  the  other  side  of  the  tree,  so 
that  it  is  lost  to  sight. 

SCREECH  OWL 

The  common  owl  which  you  hear  dur- 
ing the  night,  and  which  is  sometimes 


Plate  8 


Black-throated    Blue    Warbler 


Black-throated   Green  Warbler 


SOMERSET  HILLS  65 

called  a  "  Hoot  Owl,"  is  probably  the 
Screech  Owl  (Plate  18,  p.  131).  It  is 
not  very  large,  has  ear  tufts,  and  there 
are  two  very  different  color  phases: 
some  of  the  birds  being  grayish,  while 
others  are  bright  reddish-brown.  Dur- 
ing the  day  these  Owls  roost  in  holes  in 
trees,  apple-trees  very  often  being 
chosen.  The  Screech  Owl  is  of  eco- 
nomic value,  for  it  destroys  large  num- 
bers of  grasshoppers  and  other  insects 
and  mice.  Its  call  is  a  shrill  trill,  when 
heard  close  by,  but  at  a  distance  it  is  only 
a  low,  murmuring  and  wavering  trill. 

SHARP-SHINNED  HAWK 

This  Hawk  (Plate  18,  p.  131)  is 
wood-loving,  rarely  sailing  out  into  the 
open.  It  quietly  flies  through  the  woods, 
watching  for  its  prey,  which  consists 
largely  of  small  birds.  It  also  eats  mice 
and  insects.  It  is  not  one  of  the  large 


66  THE  BIRDS  OF 

Hawks,  but  is  of  medium  size.  It  is  one 
of  the  most  destructive  of  its  family. 
The  so-called  "  Hen  Hawks"  of  the 
genus  Buteo,  including  the  Red-shoul- 
der and  Red-tail,  do  more  good  than 
harm;  but  the  Sharp-shinned,  Cooper's, 
Duck  and  Goshawks  destroy  great  num- 
bers of  our  valuable  and  beautiful  song 
birds.  Therefore  the  four  last  men- 
tioned are  harmful,  and  should  be  de- 
stroyed. All  other  Hawks  in  this  sec- 
tion of  the  country  are  not  more  destruc- 
tive than  beneficial. 

f 

CROW 

"  Scarce  as  a  white  Crow  "  is  scarce 
indeed,  for  white  Crows  are  few.  The 
normal  Crow  is  jet  black,  its  feathers, 
legs,  eyes  and  bill  being  all  of  the  same 
color.  It  is  sometimes  difficult  to  tell 
a  Crow's  nest  from  that  of  a  squirrel, 
though  the  former  is  generally  com- 


SOMERSET  HILLS  67 

posed  chiefly  of  sticks,  while  the  ma- 
terial of  the  latter  consists  mainly  of 
leaves.  They  are  usually  situated  far 
up  in  high  trees. 

The  flight  of  a  Crow  is  slow  and 
straight,  and  the  bird  usually  flaps  its 
wings,  though  I  have  seen  a  Crow  sail 
for  a  long  distance.  Crows  occasionally 
acquire  the  habit  of  eating  the  eggs  out 
of  one's  chicken  yard.  They  are  per- 
manent residents,  but  the  same  individ- 
uals that  breed  here,  winter  farther 
south,  and  the  Crows  that  winter  with 
us  nest  to  the  northward,  probably  in 
northern  New  York. 

During  the  spring  and  fall  we  some- 
times see  the  sky  filled  with  Crows, 
usually  very  high,  and  wending  their 
way  southward.  I  saw  as  many  as  fif- 
teen hundred  and  thirty-nine  of  them 
passing  overhead  at  Washington,  D.  C., 
in  January,  1910.  They  were  flying  in 


68  THE  BIRDS  OF 

a  southerly  direction,  not  as  high  as  they 
often  fly,  and  flying  very  slowly.  It 
took  about  three-quarters  of  an  hour  for 
them  to  pass. 

Crows  gather  in  enormous  roosts,  and 
once  while  passing  through  Virginia  in 
a  train,  I  saw  a  roost  of  about  a  thou- 
sand. It  was  at  twilight  and  they  were 
settling  for  the  night  in  the  bushes. 

Sometimes  one  may  confuse  a  Crow 
with  a  Crackle,  but  they  are  quite  dif- 
ferent, and  differ  in  the  following  ways : 
The  length  of  the  Crow  is  nearly  twenty 
inches,  whereas  that  of  the  Crackle  is 
only  twelve.  The  Crow  has  a  short  tail 
compared  with  its  body,  while  that  of 
the  Crackle  is  long.  The  general  ap- 
pearance of  the  former  is  chunky  and 
fat,  but  the  latter  is  slim. 

BLUE  JAY 

The  Blue  Jay  (Frontispiece)  is  a  per- 
manent resident,  and  a  saucy,  imperti- 


SOMERSET  HILLS  69 

nent  and  noisy  bird,  yet  universally 
liked,  because  of  his  gay  colors  and 
jovial  and  careless  manners.  Sometimes 
he  robs  the  nests  of  other  birds  of  their 
eggs.  When  Jays  are  near  they  are 
apt  to  make  themselves  heard,  and  ap- 
parently are  always  quarreling  with  one 
another.  The  calls  of  the  Jay  seem 
unlimited,  for  he  makes  all  sorts  of 
noises  of  his  own  and  adds  those 
which  he  has  copied  from  other  birds. 
In  captivity  it  is  possible  to  have  Jays 
very  tame;  and  we  have  a  pair  that  like 
to  eat  nuts  and  fruit  from  our  hands. 
During  midsummer  one  seldom  sees 
many  Jays,  for  they  seclude  themselves 
in  the  woods,  and  perform  their  nesting 
duties,  at  that  time  rarely  coming  near 
civilization. 

Blue  Jays  usually  nest  in  small  trees, 
often  young  pines. 


70  THE  BIRDS  OF 

OVENBIRD 

This  Warbler  derives  its  name  from 
the  shape  of  its  nest.  The  top  is  par- 
tially covered,  with  an  opening  on  the 
side  for  entrance,  making  a  striking 
resemblance  to  an  oven.  When  in  the 
woods  one  is  startled  by  hearing  the 
note  of  this  bird,  resembling  the  word 
"  teacher "  repeated  five  or  six  times, 
each  time  louder  and  louder.  The 
Ovenbird  has  also  a  flight-song. 

The  markings  of  the  Ovenbird  are 
plain  dark  brown  above,  and  white, 
streaked  with  black  below.  The  only 
bright  coloring  on  the  bird  is  two  stripes 
of  orange-brown  on  the  crown.  Like 
most  Warblers  this  bird  moves  south 
when  the  cold  weather  approaches,  and 
when  the  insects  disappear,  for  these 
form  the  chief  food  of  Warblers. 


SOMERSET  HILLS  ji 

SCARLET  TANAGER 

I  think  that  of  all  birds  the  male  of 
this  one  is  the  most  beautiful  (Frontis- 
piece). What  can  you  imagine  more 
lovely  in  color  than  this  scarlet  bird, 
with  black  wings  and  tail,  perched 
amongst  green  leaves?  You  rarely  see 
him  outside  of  a  wood  with  green 
foliage.  In  this  he  makes  his  home,  and 
to  its  coloring  his  mate  is  matched.  He 
is  green  in  winter  like  the  female,  except 
that  he  retains  his  black  wings,  whereas 
her  wings  are  brown. 

His  song  is  somewhat  like  that  of  a 
Robin,  only  more  grating.  He  also 
possesses  a  note  sounding  like  "chip- 
chirr"  also  of  a  grating  quality.  The 
nest  of  the  Tanager  is  a  loose  affair  of 
sticks  situated  in  a  tree.  The  Scarlet 
Tanagers  arrive  late  in  spring,  and  de- 
part early  in  the  fall,  wintering  in 
Central  and  South  America. 


CHAPTER  VII 
BIRDS  THAT  LIVE  IN  THE  AIR 

HAWKS 

THE  Red-tailed,  Red-shouldered  and 
Marsh  Hawks  are  of  the  kind  that  are 
more  beneficial  than  destructive.  Their 
food  consists  of  mice,  moles  and  other 
vermin,  grasshoppers  and  other  insects. 
The  Marsh  Hawk  (Plate  20,  p.  135) 
varies  greatly  in  color,  some  birds  which 
one  sees  being  dark  or  light  brown. 
These  are  usually  females.  Other  in- 
dividuals, which  are  the  males,  are  gray. 
This  bird  nests  on  the  ground  in  swampy 
lands.  It  inhabits  fields  and  marshes 
and  may  be  frequently  seen  sailing  over 

them.    The  Marsh  Hawk  flies  very  low 

72 


Plate  1> 


Myrtle  Warbler 


Redstart 


THE  BIRDS  OF  SOMERSET  HILLS      73 

and  rarely  attains  a  height  of  over  two 
hundred  feet.  In  both  sexes  the  upper 
tail-coverts  are  white. 

The  adult  Red-tailed  Hawk  (Plate 
2O>  P-  X35)  'IS  reddish  brown  on  the 
upper  part  of  the  tail.  The  bird  which 
is  most  frequently  confused  with  this  is 
the  Red-shouldered,  but  the  adult  males 
may  be  easily  told  apart.  The  latter  has 
no  reddish  brown  on  its  tail,  but  its 
shoulders  are  of  that  color. 

The  small  Sparrow  Hawk  (Plate  21, 
p.  145)  is  brightly  colored  with  patches 
of  orange  brown  and  black.  These 
Hawks  are  about  the  size  of  a  Shrike 
and  their  actions  and  food  are  similar. 
Both  eat  small  birds,  mice  and  insects. 
The  Sparrow  Hawk  is  beneficial,  de- 
stroying vast  numbers  of  vermin,  insects 
and  English  Sparrows.  They  do  occa- 
sionally eat  song  birds,  but  not  often 
enough  to  class  them  with  the  hawks 


74  THE  BIRDS  OF 

which    are    more    harmful    than    bene- 
ficial to  agriculture. 

TURKEY  VULTURE  OR  BUZZARD 
These  birds  are  very  desirable,  owing 
to  their  diet.  It  consists  of  the  car- 
casses of  dead  animals.  In  a  very  short 
time  a  flock  of  these  scavengers  will  de- 
vour a  horse  or  cow.  Up  to  the  present 
time  Turkey  Vultures  have  been  seldom 
observed  in  Northern  New  Jersey,  but 
they  are  now  common  in  the  Somerset 
Hills.  My  first  record  for  them  was  in 
1908.  They  were  seen  occasionally  in 
that  year.  In  1909  they  were  more 
common,  but  in  1910  rather  less  so,  in 
which  year,  as  also  in  1911,  the  majority 
of  Buzzards  were  late  in  arriving, 
though  both  years  brought  early  in- 
dividual records. 

The  feathers  of  the  Buzzard  are  black 
and  the  head  is  naked  and  of  a  red 
color. 


SOMERSET  HILLS  75 

In  the  southern  part  of  the  United 
States  Vultures  are  very  abundant. 

THE  CHIMNEY  SWIFT 

This  bird  is  frequently  miscalled 
Chimney  Swallow,  but  is  not  of  the 
Swallow  family,  being  a  member  of  the 
same  one  as  the  Nighthawk,  Whip-poor- 
will  and  Hummingbird,  and  yet  how 
different  these  birds  are  in  appearance. 
The  flight  of  the  Swift  is  different  from 
that  of  the  Swallow,  as  are  also  its 
notes.  Chimney  Swifts  are  dark  brown 
in  color  with  the  throat  gray,  and  their 
wings  are  extremely  long. 

The  Swifts  nest  in  chimneys,  fasten- 
ing the  twigs  together  and  sticking  them 
to  the  bricks  with  their  saliva,  which 
acts  as  a  mucilage.  Before  there  were 
houses  in  this  country  the  Swifts  nested 
and  roosted  in  hollow  trees. 

John  J.   Audubon  writes   as   follows 


76  THE  BIRDS  OF 

concerning  these  birds:  "Immediately 
after  my  arrival  at  Louisville,  I  was  in- 
formed that  on  my  way  back  to  town 
there  was  a  tree  remarkable  on  account 
of  the  immense  numbers  of  Swallows 
that  resorted  to  it.  I  found  it  to  be  a 
sycamore,  hollow  nearly  to  the  roots. 
The  sun  was  going  down,  and  the 
evening  was  beautiful;  thousands  of 
Swallows  were  flying  closely  above 
me,  and  three  or  four  at  a  time  would 
pitch  into  the  entrance  of  the  tree.  I 
did  not  pretend  to  count  them,  for 
their  number  was  too  great,  and  the 
birds  rushed  to  the  entrance  so  thick 
as  to  baffle  the  attempt.  Next  morning 
I  rose  early  enough  to  reach  the  place 
long  before  the  least  appearance  of  day- 
light, and  after  waiting  about  twenty 
minutes,  I  suddenly  thought  that  the 
tree  was  giving  way  and  coming  down 
upon  me,  and  what  was  my  astonish- 


SOMERSET  HILLS  77 

ment  to  see  it  standing  firm  as  ever. 
The  Swallows  were  now  pouring  out 
in  a  black,  continued  stream.  I  could 
compare  the  noise  made  within  to 
nothing  else  than  the  sound  of  a  large 
wheel  revolving  under  a  powerful 
stream.  I  estimated  that  the  time  they 
took  in  getting  out  was  more  than 
thirty  minutes."  After  cutting  a  hole 
in  the  tree  and  examining  its  interior^ 
the  same  author  makes  the  following 
statement:  "  Let  us  now  make  a  rough 
calculation  of  the  number  that  clung 
to  the  tree.  The  space  from  the  bottom 
of  the  tree  to  the  entrance  might  be  fully 
twenty-five  feet,  with  a  breadth  of 
fifteen  feet,  supposing  that  the 
diameter  of  the  tree  was  five  feet  at  an 
average.  There  would  thus  be  375  feet 
square  of  surface.  Each  square  foot, 
allowing  a  bird  to  cover  a  space  of 
three  inches  by  one  and  one-half,  which 


78  THE  BIRDS  OF 

is  more  than  enough,  judging  from  the 
manner  in  which  they  were  packed, 
would  contain  thirty-two  birds.  The 
number  of  Swallows,  therefore,  that 
roosted  in  this  single  tree  was  9,000." 

Where  do  the  Swifts  spend  the  winter 
months?  This  question  has  never  been 
solved.  From  all  over  the  United  States 
Swifts  gather  around  New  Orleans  in 
the  fall,  and  suddenly  every  one  is  gone. 
Some  say  that  they  burrow  in  the  mud; 
but  no  one  really  knows.  They  may 
winter  in  some  cave  in  an  unknown 
region. 

RUBY-THROATED  HUMMINGBIRD 

This  (Plate  21,  p.  145)  is  the  small- 
est bird  in  the  Eastern  United  States. 
Its  eggs  are  correspondingly  small,  for 
they  are  but  half  an  inch  in  length  and 
of  a  pinkish  white  color.  A  Humming- 
bird's nest  is  usually  composed  of  plant 
down  and  lichens  fastened  together  with 


SOMERSET  HILLS  79 

cobweb.  Of  over  five  hundred  species 
of  Hummingbirds,  this  is  the  only  one 
that  comes  to  Eastern  North  America, 
while  but  seventeen  reach  the  Pacific 
slope. 

The  male  Hummingbird  has  a  green 
back  and  white  breast  with  a  ruby-col- 
ored throat.  The  female  is  similar  but 
lacks  the  color  on  the  throat. 

When  the  Hummingbird  flies  from 
flower  to  flower  with  meteor-like  flight 
which  is  so  swift  one  cannot  see  the 
motion  of  the  wings,  it  looks  like  a  large 
butterfly  or  moth.  The  food  of  the 
Hummingbird  consists  of  honey  and  in- 
sects. It  flies  to  a  flower,  sticks  its  long 
bill  into  the  depth  of  the  blossom  and 
extracts  the  honey,  also  taking  insects 
which  are  injurious  to  the  flower. 
TREE,  CLIFF  AND  BARN  SWALLOW 

The  Swallows  are  entirely  insect-eat- 
ing birds  and  are  adapted  for  that  pur- 


8o  THE  BIRDS  OF 

pose  in  every  way.  They  have  long 
wings,  so  that  they  can  sail  through  the 
air  for  long  periods  without  fatigue. 
Their  feet  are  very  tiny  and  weak  and 
are  rarely  used  by  the  birds  for  walking, 
as  they  prefer  flight  whenever  possible. 
Unlike  most  perching  birds,  Swallows 
migrate  by  day. 

The  Tree  Swallow  (Plate  22,  p.  151) 
is  silky-white  below  and  shining  em- 
erald-green above.  It  is  termed  the 
White-bellied  Swallow  by  some  authors. 
Tree  Swallows  are  among  the  first 
to  arrive  from  the  South  in  the  spring 
and  the  first  to  depart  in  the  fall,  though 
some  linger  late  in  the  season.  As 
early  as  the  first  of  July  they  gather 
in  flocks  and  at  night  roost  in  marshes. 
They  raise  two  broods  of  young  a  year. 
The  Tree  Swallow  may  sometimes  be 
told  from  the  Cliff  and  Barn  by  the 
fact  that  this  bird  prefers  to  fly  high  in 


SOMERSET  HILLS  81 

the  air,  whereas  the  others  stay  lower. 
Tree  Swallows  nest  in  hollow  trees. 

Cliff  and  Barn  Swallows  (Plate  22, 
p.  151)  are  dark  blue-black  above  and 
chestnut  below.  The  former  may  be 
told  from  the  latter  by  a  brown  instead 
of  a  blue  rump  and  a  square  instead 
of  a  forked  tail. 

The  Cliff  Swallow  is  also  called  the 
Eave  Swallow.  The  Cliff  Swallow  for- 
merly nested  in  cliffs,  from  which  it  re- 
ceives one  of  its  names,  and  as  it  now 
builds  its  nest  of  mud  under  the  eaves 
of  barns,  it  is  also  called  the  Eave  Swal- 
low. I  have  seen  over  sixty  nests  of 
these  birds  under  the  eaves  of  one  side 
of  a  barn,  which  was  about  forty  feet 
long.  Before  there  were  any  barns  in 
this  country,  these  Swallows  nested  al- 
together in  cliffs. 

The  nest  of  the  Barn  Swallow  is 
made  of  the  same  material  as  that  of 


82    THE  BIRDS  OF  SOMERSET  HILLS 

the  Cliff,  with  straws  added,  but  is  of 
a  different  shape.  The  nest  of  the  Cliff 
Swallow  is  globular  and  hangs  down- 
ward. The  Barn  Swallow's  nest  is 
usually  placed  on  a  rafter  or  in  the  cor- 
ner of  a  barn  and  is  cup-shaped.  It  is 
a  common  sight  to  see  several  of  these 
Swallows  sailing  low  over  the  fields  or 
meadows,  catching  insects.  Their  twit- 
tering note  can  be  distinguished  from 
that  of  the  other  Swallows.  Both  males 
and  females  incubate,  the  female  the 
greater  part  of  the  time.  The  period 
of  incubation  is  about  thirteen  days. 
Once  when  I  watched  these  birds  as  they 
were  nesting,  each  bird  would  remain 
on  the  nest  for  about  eight  minutes. 


Plate  10 


Catbird 


Brown  Thrasher 


CHAPTER  VIII 
A  SCORE  OF  RARE  BIRDS 

IN  this  chapter  I  am  including  twenty 
birds  which  are  the  most  frequently  seen 
of  those  which  I  have  not  already  men- 
tioned. They  are  the  following  species: 
Solitary  Sandpiper,  Killdeer,  Bald 
Eagle,  Red-headed  Woodpecker,  Night- 
hawk,  Rusty  Blackbird,  Redpoll,  Pine 
Siskin,  White-crowned  Sparrow,  War- 
bling and  White-eyed  Vireos,  Blue- 
winged,  Northern  Parula,  Magnolia, 
Pine,  Yellow  Palm  and  Canada  War- 
blers, Yellow-breasted  Chat,  Olive- 
backed  and  Gray-cheeked  Thrushes. 

Several  times  I  have  seen  the  Solitary 
Sandpiper,  which  is  similar  to  the 
Spotted  but  distinctly  larger  in  size. 
83 


84  THE  BIRDS  OF 

This  Sandpiper,  like  the  Spotted,  fre- 
quents small  streams,  teetering  up  and 
down  their  banks  in  search  of  the  worms 
and  aquatic  insects  which  constitute  their 
food. 

In  the  spring  of  1909  a  pair  of  Kill- 
deers  appeared  in  a  small  meadow  about 
two  miles  from  Bernardsville.  They 
remained  all  summer,  and  though  I 
never  found  their  nest  I  think  that 
they  probably  bred.  One  single  bird 
of  this  species  was  observed  on  a  sand- 
bar at  Ravine  Lake  in  the  fall  of 
1910.  The  Killdeer  is  gray  and  black 
above  with  an  orange-brown  rump.  Its 
underparts  are  white,  crossed  on  the 
breast  by  two  blackish  bands. 

The  Bald  Eagle  is  one  of  the  few 
Raptores  which  may  be  identified,  even 
when  soaring  at  a  great  height  in  the  air. 
Its  white  head  and  tail  contrast  strongly 
with  its  brown  body.  The  first  time  that 


SOMERSET  HILLS  85 

I  saw  this  Eagle  was  in  1908.  The  next 
summer  I  saw  it  three  times.  In  1910 
I  had  one  report  of  it,  but  I  have  not 
heard  of  it  being  seen  in  1911,  so  ap- 
parently the  bird  is  becoming  scarcer. 

The  Red-headed  Woodpecker  is  a  per- 
manent resident  throughout  most  of  its 
range.  In  many  places  it  is  rather  com- 
mon, but  in  the  Somerset  Hills  it  is  rare. 
I  have  but  three  records  of  its  occur- 
rence. I  have  frequently  seen  it  near 
Somerville,  Stirling  and  other  adjoining 
places.  This  species  of  Woodpecker  is 
an  enemy  of  the  telegraph  and  telephone 
companies,  owing  to  the  fact  that  it 
makes  holes  in  their  poles.  This  some- 
times results  in  the  pole  being  made  so 
weak  from  constant  borings  that  it  event- 
ually falls.  However,  the  poles  are  not 
usually  effectually  damaged,  and  besides, 
the  bird  redeems  itself  by  doing  good  in 
excavating  insects  from  the  bark  of  trees, 


86  THE  BIRDS  OF 

which,  if  they  were  allowed  to  remain, 
would  kill  the  tree.  The  whole  head  and 
upper  breast  of  this  splendid  bird  are 
crimson;  the  upper  part  of  the  back,  the 
wings  and  tail  are  black,  while  the 
lower  back,  the  belly  and  a  wide  band 
across  the  wing  are  white.  The  young 
birds  are  gray  and  white,  streaked  with 
brown. 

Many  people  think  that  the  Whip- 
poor-will  and  Nighthawk  are  the  same 
bird,  but  they  are  not,  which  one  will 
readily  see  by  carefully  looking  at  them. 
The  Nighthawk  is  gray,  whereas  the 
Whip-poor-will  is  brown.  On  the  mid- 
dle of  the  wing  of  the  Nighthawk  is  a 
large  patch  of  white,  which  mark  is 
absent  on  the  Whip-poor-will.  The 
Whip-poor-will  is  strictly  nocturnal, 
rarely  coming  out  in  the  daylight.  I 
have  been  fortunate  enough  to  see  them 
at  dusk.  Whip-poor-wills  utter  their 


SOMERSET  HILLS  87 

"  PTh-wh-whip-poor-will"  note  at  al- 
most any  hour  of  the  night.  When  close 
by,  one  may  hear  a  low  chuckling  note, 
which  they  prefix  to  their  other  call. 
The  Nighthawk  is  more  diurnal  than 
the  Whip-poor-will,  frequently  being 
seen  in  broad  daylight.  Their  call  is  a 
nasal  "  Peent"  Early  in  the  fall  Night- 
hawks  gather  in  small  flocks,  and  mi- 
grate southward.  This  is  the  time  that  I 
usually  see  them  in  the  Somerset  Hills. 
The  Whip-poor-will  is  exceedingly  rare 
in  that  locality,  and  it  was  my  intention 
not  to  mention  it  in  this  book,  but  owing 
to  the  ease  with  which  these  birds  are 
confused,  I  was  obliged  to  mention  the 
Whip-poor-will  in  connection  with  the 
Nighthawk. 

About  the  size  of  the  Red-wing,  the 
male  black,  and  the  female  the  color  of 
the  female  Cowbird,  the  Rusty  Black- 
bird is  a  migrant  in  the  Somerset  Hills. 


88  THE  BIRDS  OF 

During  the  spring  of  1910  a  pair  stayed 
for  about  two  weeks  at  a  small  pond. 
There  are  several  other  records  of  its 
occurrence. 

Some  winters  when  food  is  scarce  in 
the  North,  the  northern  birds  are  to  be 
found  commonly  in  New  Jersey;  and 
other  winters  almost  none  are  seen.  The 
winter  of  1910  was  one  of  the  former 
kind,  and  Pine  Siskins  and  Redpolls 
were  both  common  in  the  Somerset  Hills. 
Siskins  were  first  seen  in  1910  on  Octo- 
ber eleventh  and  from  that  time  until 
December  twenty-sixth,  they  were  seen 
several  times.  On  October  seventeenth, 
a  flock  of  seventy-five  birds  was  counted, 
and  on  the  same  day  a  small  flock  was 
seen  in  another  spot.  The  large  flock 
was  feeding  on  the  seeds  of  the  birch 
tree  at  the  time.  No-  Siskins  were 
seen  from  December  twenty-sixth  until 
March  fifth,  at  which  date  ten  or  twelve 


SOMERSET  HILLS  89 

were  recorded.  A  flock  of  several  dozen 
Redpolls  appeared  on  December  seven- 
teenth, 1910.  There  were  both  males 
and  females  in  the  flock.  They  were 
frequently  seen  in  a  grove  of  birch  trees, 
the  seeds  of  which  they  fed  upon. 
The  last  date  that  the  flock  was  recorded 
for  the  season  was  on  February  twelfth, 
1911.  The  Siskin  is  streaked  with 
brown,  has  a  yellowish  tinge  and  also 
has  yellow  on  the  under  sides  of  the 
wings.  The  Redpoll  is  streaked  like 
the  Siskin,  but  has  no  yellow  ill  the 
wings,  and  the  male  Redpoll  has  its 
throat,  upper  breast,  rump  and  crown 
reddish.  The  female  is  without  the  red 
except  on  the  crown. 

The  White-crowned  Sparrow  differs 
from  the  White-throated  in  having  a 
wide  white  line  on  the  crown,  no  white 
throat,  and  no  yellow  on  the  lores.  The 
female  is  duller.  This  bird  is  rare,  but 


go  THE  BIRDS  OF 

in  the  spring  of  1910,  one  stayed  for 
over  two  weeks  near  our  house.  It  fed 
principally  on  dandelions,  which  had 
gone  to  seed.  I  heard  the  bird's  song 
several  times.  Other  than  this  I  have 
seen  the  White-crowned  Sparrow  on 
only  a  few  occasions. 

The  White-eyed  Vireo  is  a  marsh 
bird.  He  is  a  great  mimic,  imitating  the 
calls  of  the  Catbird  so  closely  that  it  is 
nearly  impossible  to  distinguish  the 
sound  from  that  of  the  real  bird.  He  is 
green  above,  has  a  whitish  breast,  tinged 
on  the  sides  with  yellow,  and  his  eyes  are 
white.  These  Vireos  are  frequently  to 
be  found  at  Ravine  Lake  in  the  summer. 

The  Warbling  Vireo  is  similar  to  the 
former,  but  has  no  whitish  wing-bars 
like  the  White-eyed.  One  or  two  birds 
of  this  species  stayed  at  Ravine  Lake 
most  of  the  summer  of  1911.  Their 
song  is  very  different  from  that  of  the 


Plate  11 


Ruby-crowned   Kinglet 


Golden-crowned   Kinglet 


SOMERSET  HILLS  91 

other  Vireos,  for  instead  of  being  a 
single  call,  it  is  a  warbling  medley. 

The  Blue-winged  Warbler  is  like  the 
White-eyed  Vireo,  in  regard  to  the 
choice  of  its  haunts.  It  has  a  preference 
for  swamps.  It  is  blue-gray  above,  and 
bright  yellow  below.  Through  the  eye 
is  a  black  line,  which  mark  is  its  dis- 
tinguishing characteristic.  In  1910  I 
saw  it  frequently  at  Ravine  Lake,  but  it 
did  not  appear  in  1911.  It  is  one  of 
the  few  song  birds  that  hybridize  in  a 
wild  state.  Sometimes  it  mates  with  the 
Golden-winged  Warbler.  The  hybrids 
are  divided  into  two  classes.  Those  with 
white  breast  are  termed  the  Brewster's 
Warbler,  and  those  with  yellow  are 
called  the  Lawrence's  Warbler.  The 
former  is  more  frequently  seen.  Of  the 
latter  not  more  than  two  dozen  speci- 
mens have  been  recorded. 

The  colors  of  the  Parula  Warbler  are 


92  THE  BIRDS  OF 

bright  and  varied.  Its  back  is  green, 
the  rest  of  the  upper  parts  bluish  gray, 
and  its  breast  is  bright  yellow.  It  is  one 
of  the  smallest  of  the  Warblers  and  may 
be  distinguished  by  having  a  patch  of 
yellowish  green  in  the  center  of  the  back. 
It  builds  its  nest  of  moss  or  lichens,  in 
which  it  lays  three  to  five  eggs  during 
the  middle  or  latter  part  of  May.  The 
eggs  are  white,  with  the  larger  end 
spotted  with  a  few  reddish  marks.  Its 
song  is  very  insignificant,  being  only  a 
buzz  and  twitter.  I  occasionally  see  it 
in  migration  time,  more  often  in  the 
spring  of  the  year. 

After  arriving  about  the  first  week  in 
May,  the  Yellow-breasted  Chat  waits 
three  weeks  or  more  before  building 
its  nest,  which  is  usually  placed  in  a 
small  bush  or  briar,  not  far  from  the 
ground.  The  exterior  is  composed  of 
grasses  and  leaves  and  the  lining  of 


SOMERSET  HILLS  93 

the  nest  is  of  finer  grasses.  In  this  it 
deposits  three  to  five  glossy  white  eggs 
spotted  with  brown.  Most  Warblers 
are  difficult  to  identify,  but  no  one  could 
mistake  the  Chat,  which  is  the  largest 
of  its  family.  It  is  a  summer  resident 
in  the  Somerset  Hills,  and  may  be  found 
in  the.  marshes  at  Ravine  Lake.  One 
can  frequently  hear  them  there,  though 
they  rarely  show  themselves,  neverthe- 
less I  have  seen  them  on  certain  occa- 
sions. One  afternoon  I  watched  a  Chat 
in  the  top  of  a  tall  tree  for  about 
half  an  hour.  It  remained  motionless 
most  of  the  time.  One  may  tell  the 
Chat  by  his  actions  and  his  long  tail, 
which  serve  as  distinguishing  char- 
acteristics for  this  bird.  He  is  nearly 
six  and  one-half  inches  long,  is  green 
above  and  yellow  below  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  belly  and  under  tail 
coverts,  which  are  white.  Another  way 


94  THE  BIRDS  OF 

of  recognizing  him  is  by  his  large  bill 
and  white  line  over  the  eye.  The  Chats 
leave  early  in  the  fall  and  by  the  first 
of  September  most  of  them  have  gone 
south.  The  locality  which  the  Chat 
prefers  is  a  marsh  containing  grasses, 
alders  and  other  semi-aquatic  plants  and 
bushes.  His  notes  seem  unlimited,  for 
not  only  does  he  possess  extraordinary 
calls  of  his  own,  but  he  shows  his  great 
vocal  ability  in  practising  imitations  of 
the  notes  of  other  birds.  His  common- 
est note  is  Too!  too!  too! 

As  its  name  implies,  the  Pine  War- 
bler is  a  truly  pine-loving  bird,  very  sel- 
dom, other  than  during  the  times  of 
migration,  being  seen  far  away  from 
pine  trees,  which  are  its  home.  From 
these  trees  it  utters  its  musical  trill, 
which,  though  something  like  that  of  the 
Chipping  Sparrow  and  Junco,  differs 
from  them  in  being  sweeter  and  having 


SOMERSET  HILLS  95 

more  variety  as  to  scale,  starting  very 
low,  gradually  rising  to  a  high  pitch  and 
suddenly  ending  by  dropping  very  low 
again.  In  the  pine  trees  it  builds  its  nest 
at  varying  altitudes, — eight  to  eighty 
feet  from  the  ground,  usually  on  a 
horizontal  limb.  About  two  weeks  are 
required  for  this  Warbler  to  build  its 
nest,  which  consists  of  strips  of  bark, 
weeds,  etc.  Its  eggs  are  four  or  five, 
generally  the  former  number  being  laid, 
As  regards  color,  the  eggs  are  whitish 
marked  with  brown  and  about  three- 
quarters  of  an  inch  long,  by  half  an 
inch  wide.  Pine  Warblers  are  among 
the  first  of  their  family  to  arrive  from 
the  South  in  the  spring,  the  first  indi- 
viduals being  seen,  as  a  rule,  between 
the  middle  and  twentieth  of  April.  Ap- 
parently protective-coloration  has  en- 
tered to  a  great  extent  into  the  mark- 
ings and  colors  of  this  bird,  for  not  only 


96  THE  BIRDS  OF 

is  it  greenish-yellow  (which  is  the  color 
of  the  pine  needles),  but  it  is  streaked 
with  brownish  lines,  which  in  life  make 
it  even  more  closely  resemble  its  en- 
vironment. One  realizes  the  above  to 
be  true,  when,  after  hearing  the  Pine 
Warbler,  one  searches  for  the  bird  in 
the  tops  of  high  pine  trees,  and  is  unable 
to  discern  it  among  the  foliage  of  the 
pine,  to  which  it  is  so  closely  allied 
in  color. 

Together  with  the  Pine  and  Myrtle 
Warblers,  the  Yellow  Palm  Warbler  is 
one  of  the  earliest  arrivals  in  spring, 
usually  coming  about  the  middle  of 
April.  It  is  greenish-yellow  above,  with 
a  chestnut  cap,  and  below  is  yellow, 
streaked  with  brown.  The  outer  tail 
feathers  have  white  patches  on  their 
inner  vanes.  It  may  be  known  at  a 
great  distance  by  the  continual  motion 
of  the  tail,  which  is  almost  incessantly 


Plate  12 


Black-capped  Chickadee 


m 


Bluebird 


SOMERSET  HILLS  97 

jerked  up  and  down.  This  is  a  sub- 
species of  the  Palm  Warbler,  and  is 
the  Eastern  form  of  that  bird.  O.  W. 
Knight  gives  the  following  description 
of  its  nest:  "composed  of  fine  dry 
sedges  and  grasses,  lined  with  a  few 
feathers,  and  one  or  two  horse-hairs. 
Its  external  diameter  was  three  inches, 
and  its  internal  diameter  at  the  top  two 
inches.  Its  depth  outside  was  two  and 
a  half  inches,  and  the  depth  inside  one 
inch." 

The  Canada  Warbler  is  a  migrant  in 
Somerset  Hills,  and  is  apparently  much 
rarer  in  the  spring  than  in  the  fall, 
though  at  all  times  it  must  be  considered 
a  rare  bird  in  that  locality.  It  is  bluish- 
gray  above,  with  no  white  in  the  wings 
or  tail.  The  under  parts  are  bright  yel- 
low, with  a  necklace  across  the  breast 
of  black  spots,  one  underneath  the  other 
in  downward  lines.  The  female  is  very 


98  THE  BIRDS  OE 

similar,  but  universally  paler  and  with 
fewer  spots  on  the  breast.  The  Canada 
Warblers  usually  arrive  about  the  mid- 
dle of  May  and  the  last  birds  depart 
about  the  first  of  October.  Their  nests 
are  bulky  and  made  of  dead  leaves  and 
grasses  lined  with  fine  grass.  From 
three  to  five  eggs  are  laid,  white, 
speckled  and  spotted  with  brownish 
marks.  Usually  about  June  first  the 
bird  begins  its  nesting.  The  song  is 
loud,  clear  and  lively  and  reminds  one 
of  the  note  of  the  Water-Thrush. 

The  Magnolia  Warbler  resembles  the 
Myrtle  in  having  the  yellow  rump  and 
sides,  but  not  only  the  sides  of  this  bird 
are  yellow  but  also  the  throat  and  breast, 
which  are  streaked  with  black  lines. 
The  one  feature  in  which  this  bird  dif- 
fers from  all  other  Warblers  is  in  having 
the  under  part  of  the  tail  white  with  a 
black  band  at  the  end.  This  mark  may 


SOMERSET  HILLS  99 

be  very  plainly  distinguished  when  the 
bird  is  in  the  tops  of  the  highest  trees 
and  often  makes  it  identifiable  when  no 
other  mark  can  be  seen.  This  species 
of  Warbler  is  a  migrant  in  the  Somerset 
Hills,  usually  being  found  on  hillsides, 
among  birch  groves  and  in  conifers,  fre- 
quently together  with  Myrtle,  Black- 
poll  and  Chestnut-sided  Warblers.  This 
bird's  note  is  very  beautiful  and  full, 
and  when  once  learned  is  not  easily  for- 
gotten. It  builds  its  nest  low,  usually 
in  an  evergreen,  where  it  deposits  its 
whitish  eggs,  which  are  spotted  with 
reddish  brown  and  of  which  the  bird 
generally  lays  four. 

The  Olive-backed,  Gray-cheeked  and 
Bicknell  Thrushes  are  all  very  similar, 
with  plain  olive-brown  backs  and  gray- 
ish breasts,  the  latter  streaked  with 
blackish.  There  are  differences  between 
them,  but  they  are  slight.  The  first  may 


ioo    THE  BIRDS  OF  SOMERSET  HILLS 

be  told  from  the  two  others  by  keenly 
observant  bird  students,  not  beginners. 
The  last  two  can  be  told  apart  in  life 
only  by  the  most  expert  field  ornitholo- 
gists. The  differences  between  the  three 
kinds  are  as  follows :  The  cheeks  of  the 
Olive-backed  Thrush  are  buffy,  while 
those  of  the  other  two  are  grayish.  The 
Gray-cheeked  and  Bicknell  Thrushes 
differ  in  the  latter  being  slightly 
smaller  and  brighter.  The  song  of  the 
Olive-backed  Thrush  starts  high  and 
each  note  becomes  lower  and  lower- 
The  song  of  the  Bicknell  Thrush  is  very 
much  like  that  of  the  Veery,  but  that 
of  the  Gray-cheeked  is,  I  believe,  un- 
known. The  Olive-backed  and  Bicknell 
Thrushes  nest  in  our  Northern  states,  but 
the  Gray-cheeked  breeds  much  farther 
north.  However,  they  are  all  only  mi- 
grants in  the  Somerset  Hills. 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE   INCREASE  AND    DECREASE 
OF   BIRDS 

ONE  of  the  great  questions  in  the  bird- 
world  is:  are  birds  increasing  or  de- 
creasing in  numbers?  There  is  no 
doubt  that  some  are  rapidly  becoming 
extinct,  whereas  those  birds  which  adapt 
themselves  to  civilization  are  becoming 
more  numerous.  In  the  following  para- 
graphs I  have  taken  up  the  question  as  to 
whether,  from  my  observations,  I  think 
the  different  species  of  birds  are  be- 
coming scarcer  or  more  abundant  in  the 
Somerset  Hills,  in  the  northern  central 
part  of  New  Jersey. 

The  following  are  rapidly  increasing: 
Turkey  Vultures,  Starlings  (a  few  seen 

101 


102  THE  BIRDS  OF 

in  1908,  in  1909  they  were  more  fre- 
quent and  several  large  flocks  were  seen 
in  1910,  also  several  nests  being  recorded 
in  the  latter  year),  English  Sparrows, 
Robins,  Bluebirds,  Meadowlarks  (one 
heard  in  mid-winter),  Song  and  Chip- 
ping Sparrows  and  Chimney  Swifts. 

Those  which  show  a  steady  increase, 
though  not  so  rapid  as  the  above  men- 
tioned, are:  Pheasants  (about  100  of 
these  birds  have  been  liberated  annually 
for  several  years,  but  it  is  a  question 
if  no  more  were  let  out  whether  the 
birds  would  increase.  Several  nests  have 
been  recorded),  Ospreys,  Sparrow 
Hawks,  Orioles,  Goldfinches,  Grosbeaks, 
Woodpeckers  (except  the  Red-head, 
which  is  always  rare),  Blackbirds,  Jays, 
Crows,  Mallards  (several  pairs  of 
which  were  liberated  a  few  years  ago 
and  there  is  now  a  flock  of  a  dozen  or 
more) ;  Great  Blue,  Black-crowned 


SOMERSET  HILLS  103 

Night,  and  Green  Herons;  Flycatchers, 
Towhees ;  Red-eyed,  Yellow- throated 
and  Warbling  Vireos;  Black  and  White, 
Chestnut-sided  and  Yellow  Warblers; 
Ovenbirds,  Maryland  Yellow-throats, 
House  Wrens  (formerly  rare,  have  be- 
come more  common  during  the  past  two 
years),  White-breasted  Nuthatches. 

The  birds  which  seem  to  remain  about 
the  same  in  numbers,  neither  increasing 
nor  decreasing,  are:  Mourning  Doves; 
Red-tailed,  Red-shouldered  and  Marsh 
Hawks  (all  of  these  Hawks  are  only 
seen  occasionally)  ;  Screech  Owls,  Hum- 
mingbirds, Swamp  Sparrows,  Indigo 
Buntings,  Rough-winged  Swallows, 
Cedar  Waxwings,  Water-Thrushes,  Cat- 
birds, Chickadees,  and  lastly  Wood 
Thrushes. 

The  slowly  decreasing  birds  are  as  fol- 

% 

lows:  Hawks  of  the  Genus  Accipter, 
Cuckoos,  Kingfishers;  Vesper,  Field  and 


104  THE  BIRDS  OF  SOMERSET  HILLS 

Grasshopper  Sparrows;  Cliff,  Tree  and 
Bank  Swallows  (none  of  the  last  named 
have  been  seen  for  two  years,  but  for- 
merly they  were  occasional) ;  Brown 
Thrashers  (only  a  few  seen  in  1910,  and 
in  1911  they  were  even  scarcer  than  in 
the  previous  year),  and  all  the 
Thrushes  not  already  mentioned. 

The  following  birds  are  rapidly  de- 
creasing: Shore  birds  of  the  order 
Limicola,  Ruffed  Grouse  and  Bob- 
whites. 


Plate  13 


Mallard 


Spotted    Sandpiper 


CHAPTER  X 

MY  BEST  DAY'S  RECORD— 
64   SPECIES 

IT  is  always  interesting  to  try  to  beat 
one's  record  as  to  the  number  of  birds 
seen  in  a  day.  In  the  spring  of  1909  I 
had  a  record  of  twenty-eight  species  of 
birds.  Later  I  raised  it  to  thirty-two, 
then  to  thirty-eight,  and  finally,  in  July, 
I  saw  fifty-four  kinds  of  birds  in  one 
day.  That  was  the  largest  record  for 
the  year.  I  beat  this  in  1910  by  seeing 
fifty-seven  birds.  All  these  records, 
however,  were  beaten  on  May  14,  1911, 
by  my  seeing  or  hearing  sixty-four 
species  of  birds.  It  was  a  beautiful 
warm  day.  In  the  early  morning  the 
105 


io6  THE  BIRDS  OF 

sky  was  clear,  but  as  the  day  advanced 
the  sky  became  slightly  overcast.  In 
the  afternoon,  from  2:30  to  5:30  P.M., 
I  was  at  Ravine  Lake.  The  list  of 
birds  is  as  follows: 

1.  Mallard 

2.  Green  Heron 

3.  Solitary  Sandpiper 

4.  Spotted  Sandpiper 

5.  Common  Pheasant 

6.  Mourning  Dove 

7.  Turkey  Vulture 

8.  Small  Hawk,  species  unknown 

9.  Belted  Kingfisher 

10.  Downy  Woodpecker 

11.  Northern  Flicker 

12.  Chimney  Swift 

13.  Kingbird 

14.  Crested  Flycatcher 

15.  Phoebe 

1 6.  Wood  Pewee 


SOMERSET  HILLS  107 

17.  Least  Flycatcher 

1 8.  Crow 

19.  Starling 

20.  Cowbird 

21.  Red-winged  Blackbird 

22.  Meadowlark 

23.  Orchard  Oriole 

24.  Baltimore  Oriole 

25.  Crackle,  species  unknown 

26.  English  Sparrow 

27.  Goldfinch 

28.  Vesper   Sparrow 

29.  Grasshopper  Sparrow 

30.  White-crowned  Sparrow 

31.  Chipping   Sparrow 

32.  Field  Sparrow 

33.  Song  Sparrow 

34.  Lincoln's  Sparrow 

35.  Towhee 

36.  Cardinal 

37.  Indigo  Bunting 

38.  Scarlet  Tanager 


io8  THE  BIRDS  OF 

39.  Cliff  Swallow 

40.  Barn  Swallow 

41.  Rough-winged  Swallow 

42.  Cedar  Waxwing 

43.  Red-eyed  Vireo 

44.  Warbling  Vireo 

45.  Yellow-throated  Vireo 

46.  White-eyed  Vireo 

47.  Black  and  White  Warbler 

48.  Yellow  Warbler 

49.  Black-throated  Blue  Warbler 

50.  Chestnut-sided  Warbler 

51.  Ovenbird 

5^.  Maryland  Yellow-throat 

53.  Yellow-breasted  Chat 

54.  Redstart 

55.  Catbird 

56.  Brown  Thrasher 

57.  House  Wren 

58.  White-breasted  Nuthatch 

59.  Chickadee 

60.  Ruby-crowned  Kinglet 


SOMERSET  HILLS  109 

61.  Wood  Thrush 

62.  Veery 

63.  Robin 

64.  Bluebird. 


CHAPTER  XI 

CALENDAR  OF  BIRD  MIGRATION 
IN  SOMERSET  HILLS 

PART  I 
EARLIEST  SPRING  RECORDS 

a — Records  of  Miss  Lilian  G.  Cook, 
b — Records  reported  to  J.  D.  Kuser. 
All  others,   records  of  John   Dryden 
Kuser. 

a  Crackle Mar.  i 

Pine  Siskin "    5,1911 

a  Fox  Sparrow "    7 

Robin    "  11,1911 

Red-winged  Blackbird  .  "  14,1911 

a  Hermit  Thrush    "  18 

Turkey  Vulture "  20,191 1 

no 


Plate  14 


Great  Blue   Heron 


Green  Heron 


THE  BIRDS  OF  SOMERSET  HILLS  in 

,  Common  Pheasant. ..  .Mar.22, 1911 

Phoebe   "  22,1911 

Flicker   "  26,1911 

Field  Sparrow "  29,191 1 

Cowbird "  29,191 1 

Vesper  Sparrow   "30,1910 

Mourning  Dove   "  30,1910 

Chipping  Sparrow "31,1910 

b  Osprey    Apr.i,i9ii 

Belted  Kingfisher "    1,1911 

Yellow-bellied  Sapsuck- 

er .  "    3jl9l° 

•Ruby-crowned  Kinglet  .  "    5,1910 
Louisiana  Water- 
Thrush  "    6,1911 

Marsh  Hawk "    6,191 1 

a  Brown  Creeper "    7 

a  Yellow  Palm  Warbler  . .  "7 

Green  Heron   "    8,1911 

a  Hooded  Warbler "12 

Rusty  Blackbird    "  12,1910 

Brown  Thrasher "13,1910 


ii2  THE  BIRDS  OF 

a  Canada   Goose. Apr.i3 

a  Tree  Swallow  .  . .  / "  14 

a  Myrtle  Warbler "14 

a  Swamp  Sparrow "  16 

Mallard "  18,1911 

Towhee "  20,1910 

Barn  Swallow "  21,1912 

a  Purple  Finch "21 

a  Savannah  Sparrow "22 

a  Blue-headed  Vireo  "22 

a  Baltimore  Oriole "  25,191 1 

Carolina  Wren   "  27,1910 

b  Scarlet  Tanager   "  28,1910 

Redstart   "  29,191 1 

a  Blackburnian  Warbler  .  "  29 

Yellow  Warbler "30,1911 

Northern  Parula  War- 
bler      "  30,1911 

Black  and  White  War- 
bler     "  30,1910-11 

Least  Flycatcher   "  30,1911 

Catbird    May  1,1911 


SOMERSET  HILLS  113 

Chimney  Swift  Maya, 1911 

a  Crested   Flycatcher "  2,1911 

Solitary  Sandpiper   ....  "  2,1911 

Spotted  Sandpiper  "  2,1911 

Wood  Thrush  "  2,1911 

Yellow-throated  Vireo   .  "  3,1910 

Warbling  Vireo    "  3,1910 

Orchard  Oriole   "  3,I9Jo 

Ovenbird   "  3,1910 

House  Wren  "  3>I9][o 

a  Magnolia  Warbler    ....  "  3 

a  Rose-breasted    Grosbeak  "  4 

Cliff  Swallow  "  5,1910 

Maryland  Yellow-throat  "  5,1910 

a  Grasshopper  Sparrow  .  .  "  5 

a  White-eyed  Vireo    "  5 

a  Chestnut-sided    Warbler  "  5 

a  Blue-winged  Warbler  .  .  "  6 
Black-throated       Green 

Warbler "  6,1910 

a  Yellow-breasted  Chat  .  .  "  7 

Red-breasted    Nuthatch  "  8,1911 


ii4  THE  BIRDS  OF 

Kingbird    May8,i9i  i 

White-crowned  Sparrow  "    8,1911 

Cedar  Waxwing    "    8,1910 

Veery "    8,1911 

Northern  Water-Thrush  "    9,1910 
Black-crowned       Night 

Heron  "    9,1911 

Red-eyed  Vireo  "  10,191 1 

Rough-winged   Swallow  "  10,1910 
Black-throated  Blue 

Warbler   "10,1911 

a  Wilson's  Warbler    "  10 

a  Black-poll  Warbler  ....  "  10 

a  Canada  Warbler "  10 

a  Bay-breasted  Warbler  .  .  "  11 
a  Golden-winged  Warbler  "  1 1 
Ruby-throated        Hum- 
mingbird     "  13,1910 

Lincoln's  Sparrow "  14,1911 

Indigo  Bunting   "  14,1911 

Pewee "  14,1911 

Yellow-legs  ...........  "  14,1910 


SOMERSET  HILLS  115 

a  Olive-backed  Thrush.  .May  15, 1911 

Cape  May  Warbler  . . .  .  "  16,1911 

aKilldeer "20 

a  Pied-billed  Grebe    "20 

Great  Blue  Heron  ....  "  21,1911 

a  Bobolink "21 

Bicknell's       or       Gray- 
cheeked  Thrush  "22,1911 

a  Black-billed  Cuckoo  ...  "29 

Acadian  Flycatcher  ....  "  30 

PART  II 
LATEST  FALL  RECORDS 

a — Seen  by  Miss  Lilian  G.  Cook. 
All  others,  seen  by  John  Dryden  Kuser. 

Pewee    Sept.  7,1910 

a  Chestnut-sided  Warbler  . .     "      8,1910 
Yellow-throated  Vireo  ...     "    11,1911 

Philadelphia  Vireo "    12,1910 

Wood  Thrush "    12,1910 


THE  BIRDS  OF 


Chimney  Swift Sept  13, 1910 

Black-crowned  Night  Her- 
on      "  13,1910 

Blackburnian  Warbler  .  .  "  19,1910 

Nighthawk "  20,1910 

Ovenbird   "  20,1910 

Rose-breasted  Grosbeak  ..  "  25,1910 

Brown  Thrasher "  26,1910 

Black  and  White  Warbler  "  27,1910 
Black-throated  Blue  War- 
bler      "  27,1910 

Magnolia  Warbler  "  27,1910 

Redstart "  27,1910 

Maryland    Yellow-throat  "  27,1910 

a  Northern  Parula  Warbler  "  27,1910 

Canada  Warbler "  30,1910 

Tree  Swallow Oct.  1,1910 

Great  Blue  Heron " 

Phoebe " 

a  Pine  Warbler " 

Catbird   "  4,1910 

Cedar  Waxwing "  10,1910 


Plate  15 


Red-winged   Blackbird 


Maryland  Yellow-throat 


SOMERSET  HILLS 


117 


Green  Heron Oct.  10,1911 

Common  Pheasant "  12,1910 

Red-eyed  Vireo "  14,1910 

Red-breasted  Nuthatch  ..  "  14,1910 

Northern  Flicker "  17,1910 

Black-poll  Warbler  "  18,1910 

Osprey "  18,1910 

Yellow-bellied   Sapsucker  "  18,1910 

Crackle "  18,1910 

Rusty  Blackbird "  18,1910 

Field  Sparrow "  24,1910 

Coot "  25,1910 

a  Chipping  Sparrow "  25,1910 

a  Black-throated  Green 

Warbler "  25,1910 

a  Hermit  Thrush "  25,1910 

Myrtle  Warbler "  31,1910 

Towhee "  31,1910 

Horned  Grebe "  31,1910 

Killdeer   Nov.  1,1910 

Duck  Hawk "  1,1910 

Yellow  Palm  Warbler..  "  1,1910 


n8  THE  BIRDS  OF 

Swamp  Sparrow  Nov.  12, 1910 

Cowbird "  12,1910 

a  Mourning  Dove  "  18,1910 

Robin "  18,1910 

Turkey  Vulture "  19,1910 

Fox  Sparrow "  19,1910 

White-throated  Sparrow.     "  19,1910 

Ruby-crowned  Kinglet  .  .     "  22,1909 

Meadowlark "  24,1910 

Pine  Siskin   "  26,1910 

Mallard  (may  have  win- 
tered)    Dec.  5,1910 

Baltimore  Oriole  (Central 

Park)    "  8,1909 

Bluebird "  16,1910 

Belted  Kingfisher "  26,1909 

PART  III 
MONTHLY  RECORDS 

Horned  Grebe ;  October,  November. 
Mallard;  April-December. 


SOMERSET  HILLS  119 

Canada  Goose;  March,  April,  Octo- 
ber-December. 

Great  Blue  Heron;  April-September. 

Green  Heron;  April-October. 

Black-crowned   Night   Heron;   May- 
September. 

Coot;  April,  May,  September-Novem- 
ber. 

Yellow-legs;  May,  July-October. 

Solitary  Sandpiper;  May,  July-Octo- 
ber. 

Upland  Plover;  August,    September. 

Spotted    Sandpiper;    May-October. 

Killdeer;  May-October. 

Mourning  Dove;  March-November. 

Turkey  Vulture;  March-November. 

Marsh  Hawk;  March-November. 

Sharp-shinned  Hawk;  April-Novem- 
ber. 

Red-tailed  Hawk;  January-December. 

Red-shouldered    Hawk;   January-De- 
cember. 


120  THE  BIRDS  OF 

Broad-winged  Hawk;  May- Septem- 
ber. 

Bald  Eagle;  April-September. 

Duck  Hawk;  October. 

Sparrow  Hawk;  January-December. 

Osprey;  April-October. 

Screech  Owl;  January-December. 

Yellow-billed  Cuckoo;  May-Octo- 
ber. 

Black-billed  Cuckoo;  May-October. 

Belted  Kingfisher;  April-December. 

Hairy  Woodpecker;  January-Decem- 
ber. 

Downy  Woodpecker;  January-De- 
cember. 

Yellow-bellied  Sapsucker;  April, 
May,  September,  October. 

Red-headed  Woodpecker;  April- 
September. 

Northern  Flicker;  March-October. 

Nighthawk;  May-October. 

Chimney  Swift;  April-October. 


SOMERSET  HILLS  121 

Ruby-throated  Hummingbird;  May- 
September. 

Kingbird;  May-September. 

Crested   Flycatcher;   May-September. 

Phoebe;  March-October. 

Wood  Pewee;  May-September. 

Acadian  Flycatcher;  May,  June,  Sep- 
tember. * 

Least  Flycatcher;  April-October. 

Blue  Jay;  January-December. 

Crow;  January-December. 

Starling;  January-December. 

Bobolink;  May-October. 

Cowbird;  March-November. 

Red-winged  Blackbird;  March-No- 
vember. 

Meadowlark;  January,  March-No- 
vember. 

Orchard  Oriole;  May-September. 

Baltimore  Oriole;  May-September. 

Rusty  Blackbird;  March-November. 

Crackle;   March-November. 


122  THE  BIRDS  OF 

Purple  Finch;  January-December. 

Redpoll ;  December-March. 

Goldfinch;  February-November. 

Pine   Siskin;   October-May. 

Vesper  Sparrow;  March-November. 

Grasshopper  Sparrow;  May-Octo- 
ber. 

White-crowned  Sparrow;  October- 
May. 

White-throated  Sparrow;  September- 
May. 

Tree  Sparrow;  October-March. 

Chipping  Sparrow;  March-Novem- 
ber. 

Field  Sparrow;  March-November. 

Junco ;   September-May. 

Song    Sparrow;    January-December. 

Lincoln's  Sparrow;  May. 

Swamp    Sparrow;  April-November. 

Fox  Sparrow;  March,  April,  October- 
December. 

Towhee ;    April-October. 


Hate  16 


Veery 


Hermit  Thrush 


SOMERSET  HILLS  123 

Cardinal ;   March-December. 

Rose-breasted  Grosbeak;  May-Sep- 
tember. 

Indigo    Bunting;    May-October. 

Scarlet  Tanager;  May-October. 

Purple  Martin;  April-September. 

Cliff  Swallow;  April-October. 

Barn   Swallow;  April-October. 

Tree  Swallow;  April,  May,  July- 
October. 

Rough-winged  Swallow;  April-Sep- 
tember. 

Cedar  Waxwing;  January  -  Decem- 
ber. 

Northern   Shrike;   November-March. 

Red-eyed  Vireo;  May-October. 

Philadelphia  Vireo;   September. 

Warbling  Vireo;  May-September. 

Yellow-throated  Vireo;  May-Septem- 
ber. 

Blue-headed  Vireo;  April,  May,  Sep- 
tember, October. 


124  THE  BIRDS  OF 

White-eyed   Vireo;    May-October. 

Black  and  White  Warbler;  April- 
October. 

Blue-winged  Warbler;  May-Septem- 
ber. 

Nashville  Warbler;  May,  August- 
October. 

Northern  Parula  Warbler;  May, 
August-October. 

Cape  May  Warbler;  May,  August- 
October. 

Yellow  Warbler;  May-September. 

Black-throated  Blue  Warbler;  May, 
August-October. 

Myrtle  Warbler;  April,  May,  Sep- 
tember, October. 

Magnolia  Warbler;  May,  August- 
October. 

Chestnut-sided  Warbler;  May-Sep- 
tember. 

Bay-breasted  Warbler;  May,  August, 
September. 


SOMERSET  HILLS  125 

Black-poll  Warbler;  May,  June,  Sep- 
tember, October. 

Blackburnian  Warbler;  May,  Sep- 
tember. 

Black- throated  Green  Warbler;  April, 
May,  August-October. 

Pine  Warbler;  April,  May,  August- 
October. 

Yellow  Palm  Warbler;  April,  May, 
September,  October. 

Ovenbird;  April-October. 

Water-Thrush;  May,  August-October. 

Louisiana  Water-Thrush;  April-Sep- 
tember. 

Maryland  Yellow-throat;  May-Octo- 
ber. 

Yellow-breasted  Chat;  May-Septem- 
ber. 

Hooded  Warbler;  May,  August,  Sep- 
tember. 

Wilson's  Warbler;  May,  August,  Sep- 
tember. 


126  THE  BIRDS  OF 

Canada  Warbler;  May,  June,  August, 
September. 

Redstart;  May-October. 

Catbird ;  April-October. 

Brown   Thrasher;  April-October. 

Carolina  Wren;  April-November. 

House  Wren;   April-October. 

Winter  Wren;  September-April. 

Brown  Creeper;  September-April. 

White-breasted  Nuthatch ;  January- 
December. 

Red-breasted  Nuthatch;  April,  May, 
August-November. 

Chickadee;  January-December. 

Golden-crowned  Kinglet;  September- 
April. 

Ruby-crowned  Kinglet;  September- 
November,  April,  May. 

Wood   Thrush;   April-October. 

Veery;   May-September. 

Gray-cheeked  or  Bicknell's  Thrush; 
May,  June,  September,  October. 


Plate  17 


White-breasted    Nuthatch 


Downy  Woodpecker 


SOMERSET  HILLS 


127 


Olive-backed  Thrush;  May,  June, 
September,  October. 

Hermit  Thrush;  April,  May,  Sep- 
tember, October. 

Robin ;    February-December. 

Bluebird ;   January-December. 


CHAPTER  XII 

TERMS  USED  TO  DENOTE  THE 
ABUNDANCE  OR  RARITY  OF 
BIRDS 

i 

WHEN  reading  lists  of  birds  with 
indications  of  their  abundance  or  rarity, 
it  is  often  very  difficult  to  tell  just  how 
comparatively  common  or  how  rare  each 
bird  is,  for  it  is  seldom  that  any  two 
people  use  the  same  scale,  preferring  to 
write  each  term  as  it  is  needed  regard- 
less of  the  preceding  and  succeeding 
ones,  and  consequently,  without  realiz- 
ing it,  they  have  a  long,  illogical  list  of 
terms.  Those  most  frequently  adopted 
are  given  below.  I  have  limited  myself 
to  eight,  which  are:  abundant,  common, 

frequent,    uncommon,    occasional,    rare, 

128 


THE  BIRDS  OF  SOMERSET  HILLS   129 

scarce  and  irregular.  Together  with 
other  terms  which  are  often  used  I  have 
given  my  reasons  for  not  using  them. 
Most  of  the  data  has  been  given  me  by 
Mr.  C.  William  Beebe,  who  believes  in 
using  only  the  above  eight  terms : 
ABUNDANT. 

Very  'Common  is  the  same  as  Abun- 
dant,   for    Abundant    means    More 
Common  than   Common. 
COMMON. 

Plentiful  means  the  same  as  Abun- 
dant or  Common. 

Usually  Common  or  Usually  Rare 
are  the  same  as  Common  or  Rare, 
for  we  are  writing  about  what  the 
bird  usually  is,  so  Usually  may  be 
omitted. 

Quite  Common.  The  real  meaning 
of  Quite  is  completely  or  wholly. 
It  is  wrongly  used  to  indicate  to  a 
considerable  extent.  Thus  Quite 


130  THE  BIRDS  OF 

Common,  correctly  used,  means  no 
more  than  Completely  Common  or, 
simply,  Common. 

Not  Uncommon  is  equal  to  Common. 

Tolerably  Common  is  usually  used  to 
mean  Fairly  Common,  but  tolerably 
is  a  very  meaningless  word  in  this 
case,  as  the  word  means  that  which 
can  be  endured.  If,  however,  one 
wishes  to  use  it  as  meaning  Fairly 
Common,  he  can  just  as  well  use 
the  latter  word,  or,  instead  of  these, 
Frequent. 

FREQUENT. 

Often  Seen  is  the  same  as  Frequent. 

Usually  Tolerably  Common  is  the 
same  as  Tolerably  Common,  which 
is  the  same  as  Frequent. 

Fairly  Plentiful  is  the  same  as  Fairly 
Common. 

Fairly  Common  is  the  same  as  Fre- 
quent. 


Plate  18 


Screech  Owl 


Sharp-shinned  Hawk 


SOMERSET  HILLS  131 

UNCOMMON. 

Infrequent  is  the  same  as  Uncommon 
or  Occasional. 

Not  Common  is  Uncommon. 
OCCASIONAL. 

Sometimes  Seen  is  Occasional. 

Accidental  is  Occasional  or  Rare. 
RARE. 

Very  Rare  is  using  an  unnecessary 
adverb,  for  Rare  is  Very  Rare,  and 
to  use  the  latter  makes  a  list  only 
more  confusing  and  difficult  to 
understand. 
SCARCE. 

Scarce  does  not  mean  the  same  as 
Rare,  but  indicates  that  the  bird 
mentioned  was  at  some  previous 
time  Common,  but  that  it  has  since 
decreased  in  numbers,  until  it  is 
now  Rare. 

Very  Scarce  means  Scarce,  Very  is 
unnecessary. 


132    THE  BIRDS  OF  SOMERSET  HILLS 

IRREGULAR. 

Irregular  indicates  that  at  times  the 
bird  may  be  Common,  and  at  other 
times  Rare.  Often  this  has  to  be 
used  in  connection  with  one  of  the 
other  seven  terms.  In  such  a  case 
it  is  often  necessary  to  add  Usually, 
as:  Crossbill,  Irregular,  Usually 
Rare. 

Of  course  it  is  not  intended  that  these 
terms  should  always  be  used  by  them- 
selves. One  may  use  them  when  neces- 
sary in  conjunction  with  other  words  as 
Common  Migrant,  Scarce  Resident,  etc. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

COMPLETE  LIST  OF  BIRDS  OB- 
SERVED IN  THE  SOMERSET 
HILLS 

As  I  explained  in  the  preceding  chap- 
ter, owing  to  the  widespread  confusion 
resulting  from  the  loose  way  in  which 
terms  of  relative  abundance  and  rarity 
are  used  by  ornithologists  and  others,  I 
have  confined  myself  to  the  following 
eight  terms,  which  may  be  taken  as  a 
standard  to  express  a  gradual  decrease 
from  abundance  to  rarity: 

Abundant. 

Common. 

Frequent. 

Uncommon. 

Occasional. 

133 


134  THE  BIRDS  OF 

Rare. 

Scarce. 

Irregular. 

1.  Horned  Grebe  (Colymbus  auritus), 

rare,  one  female  seen  in  fall  1910. 

2.  Mallard       (Anas      platyrhynchos), 

rare,  flock  of  ten  or  more  at  Lake. 
A  few  pairs  liberated  several 
years  ago.  Breed  annually. 

3.  Canada    Goose    (Branta    canadensis 

canadensis),  rare,  one  seen  De- 
cember, 1909,  migrant. 

4.  Great  Blue  Heron  (Ardea  herodias 

herodias),  rare,  one  pair  every 
summer  for  eight  years  at  Ra- 
vine Lake;  young  birds  seen. 

5.  Green    Heron   (Butorides   virescens 

virescens),  occasional  in  marshes. 
Six  at  Ravine  Lake,  summers  of 
1910  and  'u. 

6.  Black-crowned  Night  Heron  (Nyc- 

ticorax  nycticorax  flavins),   rare. 


mate 


Red-tailed  Hawk 


Marsh    Hawk 


SOMERSET  HILLS  135 

7.  Coot  (Fulica  americana),  rare,  one 

seen  fall   1910. 

8.  Yellow-legs       (Totanus      flavipes), 

rare,  one  seen  spring  1910,  mi- 
grant. 

9.  Solitary     Sandpiper     (Helodromas 

solitarius  solitarius),  rare,  mi- 
grant. 

10.  Upland  Plover  (Bartramia  longi- 
cauda),  rare,  flock  seen  fall 
1909. 

n.  Spotted  Sandpiper  (Actitis  macu- 
laria),  occasional,  summer  resi- 
dent. 

12.  Killdeer  (Oxyechus  vociferus),  rare, 

pair  summered  in  small  meadow 
near  Bernardsville  in  1909. 

13.  Mourning   Dove   (Zenaldura    mac- 

roura  carolinensis),  common,  nest 
in  1910,  summer  resident. 

14.  Turkey    Vulture     (Cathartes    aura 

septentrionalis),     common,     sum- 


136  THE  BIRDS  OF 

mer  resident,  twenty-one  seen  in 
flock  summer  of  1910. 

15.  Marsh    Hawk   (Circus   hudsonius), 

uncommon. 

1 6.  Sharp-shinned     Hawk     (Accipiter 

velox),  uncommon. 

17.  Red-tailed    Hawk    (Buteo    borealis 

borealis),  uncommon. 

1 8.  Red-shouldered   Hawk  (Buteo  lin- 

eatus  lineatus),  occasional. 

19.  Broad-winged    Hawk    (Buteo    pla- 

typterus),  rare.  One  young  bird 
captured  by  Kingsley  Kunhardt 
in  spring  of  1910. 

20.  Bald  Eagle  (Hali&tus  leucocephalus 

leucocephalus),  scarce. 

21.  Duck  Hawk  (Falco  peregrinus  ana- 

tum),  rare,  seen  once,  fall  1910. 

22.  Sparrow    Hawk    (Falco    sparverius 

sparverius),  common,  permanent 
resident. 

23.  Osprey     (Pandion    haliaetus    caro- 


SOMERSET  HILLS  13? 

linensis),  occasional,  eleven  seen 
in  spring  of  1911,  summer  resi- 
dent. 

24.  Screech  Owl  (Otus  asio  asio,)  fre- 

quent, permanent  resident. 

25.  Yellow-billed     Cuckoo     (Coccyzus 

americanus  americanus),  uncom- 
mon, summer  resident. 

26.  Black-billed      Cuckoo      (Coccyzus 

erythrophthalmus),  rare,  summer 
resident. 

27.  Belted  Kingfisher  (Ceryle  alcyon), 

frequent,  summer  resident. 

28.  Hairy  Woodpecker  (Dryobates  vil- 

losus  villosus),  uncommon,  per- 
manent resident. 

29.  Downy     Woodpecker      (Dryobates 

pubescens  medianus),  abundant, 
permanent  resident. 

30.  Yellow-bellied   Sapsucker  (Sphyra- 

picus  varius  varius),  occasional, 
migrant. 


138  THE  BIRDS  OF 

31.  Red-headed     Woodpecker     (Mela- 

nerpes  erythrocephalus),  rare. 

32.  Northern  Flicker  (Colaptes  auratus 

luteus),    abundant,    summer   resi- 
dent. 

33.  Nighthawk  (Chordeiles  virginianus 

virginianus),  occasional,   summer 
resident. 

34.  Chimney  Swift  (Chtetura  pelagica), 

abundant,  summer  resident. 

35.  Ruby-throated  Hummingbird  (Ar- 

chilochus  colubris),  common,  sum- 
mer resident. 

36.  Kingbird.      (Tyrannus      tyrannus), 

common,  summer  resident. 

37.  Crested      Flycatcher      (Myiarchus 

crinitus),  frequent,  summer  resi- 
dent. 

38.  Phoebe    (Sayornis    phcebe),    abun- 

dant, summer  resident. 

39.  Wood  Pewee  (Myiochanes  virens), 

common,  summer  resident. 


SOMERSET  HILLS  139 

40.  Acadian     Flycatcher     (Empidonax 

virescens),  rare. 

41.  Least  Flycatcher  (Empidonax  mini- 

mus), abundant,  summer  resident. 

42.  Blue  Jay  (Cyanocitta  cristata  cris- 

tata),  occasional,  becoming  more 
plentiful,  permanent  resident. 

43.  Crow       (Corvus       brachyrhynchos 

brachyrhynchos),  abundant,  per- 
manent resident. 

44.  Starling    (Sturnus    vulgaris),    com- 

mon, increasing  rapidly,  perma- 
nent resident. 

45.  Bobolink  (Dolichonyx  oryzivorus), 

rare,  in  two  localities  fairly 
common  at  times,  summer  resi- 
dent. 

46.  Cowbird     (Molothrus     ater     ater), 

frequent,  summer  resident. 

47.  Red-winged     Blackbird     (Agelaius 

phceniceus  phceniceus),  common, 
summer  resident. 


i4o  THE  BIRDS  OF 

48.  Meadowlark       (Sturnella       magna 

magna),  common,  summer  resi- 
dent. 

49.  Orchard   Oriole    (Icterus   spurius), 

frequent,  summer  resident. 

50.  Baltimore  Oriole  (Icterus  galbula), 

common,  summer  resident. 

51.  Rusty    Blackbird    (Euphagus   caro- 

linus),  rare,  migrant. 

52.  Purple  Crackle  (Quiscalus  quiscula 

quiscula),  abundant  (Purple 
probably  more  common  than 
Bronzed),  summer  resident. 

53.  Bronzed   Crackle   (Quiscalus   quis- 

cula teneus),  summer  resident. 

54.  Purple     Finch     (Carpodacus    pur- 

pureus  purpureus),  occasional, 
permanent  resident. 

55.  Redpoll  (Acanthis  linaria  linaria), 

irregular,  winter  visitant. 

56.  Goldfinch  (Astragalinus  tristis  iris- 


SOMERSET  HILLS  141 

tis),  abundant,   summer   resident, 
occasionally  seen  in  winter. 

57.  Pine  Siskin  (Spinus  pinus),  irregu- 

lar winter  visitant. 

58.  Vesper  Sparrow   (Pocecetes  grami- 

neus   gramineus),   common,   sum- 
mer resident. 

59.  Grasshopper       Sparrow       (Ammo- 

dramus     savannarum     australis), 
frequent,  summer  resident. 

60.  White-crowned      Sparrow     (Zono- 

trichia     leucophrys     leucophrys), 
rare,  winter  visitant. 

61.  White-throated      Sparrow     (Zono- 

trichia  albicollis),  common,  win- 
ter resident. 

62.  Tree   Sparrow   (Spizella   monticola 

monticola),  frequent,  winter  resi- 
dent. 

63.  Chipping  Sparrow  (Spizella  passe- 

rina    passerina),    abundant,    sum- 
mer resident. 


142  THE  BIRDS  OF 

64.  Field     Sparrow    (Spizella    pusilla 

pusilla),   common,    summer    resi- 
dent. 

65.  Slate-colored    Junco    (Junco    hye- 

malis   hyemalis),   abundant,   win- 
ter resident. 

66.  Song  Sparrow  (Melospiza  melodia 

melodia),  abundant,  summer  resi- 
dent, occasional  in  winter. 

67.  Lincoln's  Sparrow  (Melospiza  lin- 

colni     lincolni),     rare,     migrant, 
seen  once,  May  14,  1911. 

68.  Swamp         Sparrow         (Melospiza 

georgiana),    rare,    summer    resi- 
dent. 

69.  Fox     Sparrow     (Passerella     iliaca 

iliaca),      occasional,       sometimes 
common  in  migration. 

70.  Towhee    (Pipilo    erythrophthalmus 

erythrophthalmus),  common,  sum- 
mer resident. 


SOMERSET  HILLS  143 

71.  Cardinal       (Cardinalis      cardinalis 

cardinalis),  uncommon,  perma- 
ment  resident.  Only  near  Ravine 
Lake. 

72.  Rose-breasted      Grosbeak      (Zame- 

lodia  ludoviciana),  occasional, 
.summer  resident. 

73.  Indigo  Bunting  (Passerina  cyanea), 

frequent,   summer   resident. 

74.  Scarlet  Tanager  (Piranga   erythro- 

melas),  common,  summer  resi- 
dent. 

75.  Purple      Martin      (Progne      subis 

subis),  rare,  summer  resi- 
dent. 

76.  Cliff  Swallow  (Petrochelidon  luni- 

frons  lunifrons),  uncommon,  sum- 
mer resident. 

77.  Barn    Swallow    (Hirundo    erythro- 

gastra),  abundant,  summer  resi- 
dent. 


144  THE  BIRDS  OF 

78.  Tree     Swallow     (Iridoprocne     bi- 

color),  occasional,  migrant. 

79.  Rough-winged      Swallow      (Stelgi- 

dopteryx  serripennis),  occasional, 
summer  resident. 

80.  Cedar    Waxwing    (Bombycilla    ce- 

drorum),      occasional,      summer 
resident,   rare   in  winter. 

81.  Northern  Shrike  (Lanius  borealis), 

rare,  winter  visitant. 

82.  Red-eyed  Vireo   (Vireosylva  oliva- 

cea),  abundant,  summer  resident. 

83.  Philadelphia      Vireo      (Vireosylva 

philadelphica),  rare,  migrant. 

84.  Warbling   Vireo    (Vireosylva  gilva 

gilva),    occasional,    summer    resi- 
dent. 

85.  Yellow-throated    Vireo    (Lanivireo 

flavifrons),      common,      summer 
resident. 

86.  Blue-headed  Vireo  (Lanivireo  soli- 

tarius  solitarius),  rare,  migrant. 


Plate  21 


Sparrow  Hawk 


Ruby-throated   Hummingbird 


SOMERSET  HILLS  145 

87.  White-eyed    Vireo    (Vireo    griseus 

griseus),  occasional,  summer  resi- 
dent. 

88.  Black  and  White  Warbler  (Mnio- 

tilto     varia),    common,     summer 
resident. 

89.  Blue-winged     Warbler     (Vermivo- 

ra    pinus),    rare,     summer    resi- 
dent. 

90.  Nashville      Warbler      (Vermivora 

rubricapilla     rubricapilla),    rare, 
migrant. 

91.  Northern   Parula  Warbler  (Comp- 

sothlypis  americana  usnete),  occa- 
sional. 

92.  Cape     May    Warbler     (Dendroica 

tigrina),   rare,    seen   once,   spring 
1911,  migrant. 

93.  Yellow  Warbler  (Dendroica  cestiva 

cestiva),    frequent,    summer    resi- 
dent. 

94.  Black  -  throated       Blue       Warbler 


146  THE  BIRDS  OF 

(Dendroica  c&rulescens  carules- 
cens),  occasional,  migrant. 

95.  Myrtle  Warbler   (Dendroica   coro- 

nata),  common,  migrant. 

96.  Magnolia      Warbler       (Dendroica 

magnolia),   occasional,   migrant. 

97.  Chestnut-sided    Warbler    (Dendro- 

ica pennsylvanica),  frequent,  sum- 
mer resident. 

98.  Bay-breasted    Warbler    (Dendroica 

castanea),  scarce,  formerly  seen 
occasionally.  I  have  no  record 
of  it  for  over  two  years. 

99.  Black-poll      Warbler      (Dendroica 

striata),  frequent,  migrant. 

100.  Blackburnian  Warbler  (Dendroica 

fusca),  rare,  migrant. 

101.  Black-throated  Green  Warbler  (Den- 

droica virens),  frequent,  migrant. 

102.  Pine     Warbler     (Dendroica     vi- 

gorsi),   rare. 

103.  Yellow  Palm  Warbler  (Dendroica 


SOMERSET  HILLS  14? 

palmarum     hypochrysea),     occa- 
sional. 

104.  Ovenbird    (Seiurus    aurocapillus), 

common,   summer   resident. 

105.  Northern   Water-Thrush   (Seiurus 

noveboracensis       noveboracensis), 
occasional,  migrant. 

106.  Louisiana  Water-Thrush  (Seiurus 

motocilla),      frequent,      summer 
resident. 

107.  Maryland  Yellow- throat  (Geothly- 

pis     trichas     trichas),     common, 
summer  resident. 

1 08.  Yellow-breasted       Chat      (Icteria 

virens    virens),    occasional,    sum- 
mer resident. 

109.  Hooded     Warbler     (Wilsonia    ci- 

trina),   rare,   migrant, 
no.    Wilson    Warbler    (Wilsonia    pu- 

silla  pusilla),  rare,  migrant, 
in.    Canada  Warbler  (Wilsonia  cana- 

densis),  occasional,   migrant. 


i48  THE  BIRDS  OF 

112.  Redstart      (Setophaga      ruticilla), 

abundant  in  1910;  frequent  in 
1911;  summer  resident. 

113.  Catbird   (Dumetella   carolinensis), 

common,   summer  resident. 

114.  Brown  Thrasher   (Toxostoma   ru- 

fum),  usually  common,  summer 
resident. 

115.  Carolina         Wren         (Thryotho- 

rus  ludovicianus  ludovicianus), 
rare,  seen  once  in  spring  of 
1910. 

116.  House   Wren    (Troglodytes   aedon 

aedon),  common,  summer  resi- 
dent. 

117.  Winter    Wren    (Nannus    hiemalis 

hiemalis),  occasional,  winter  visi- 
tant. 

118.  Brown  Creeper  (Certhia  familiaris 

americana),  occasional,  winter 
visitant. 

119.  White-breasted     Nuthatch     (Sitta 


SOMERSET  HILLS  149 

carolinensis     carolinensis),     com- 
mon, permanent  resident. 

120.  Red-breasted      Nuthatch       (Sitta 

canadensis),  uncommon,  migrant. 

121.  Chickadee    (Penthestes    atricapil- 

lus  atricapillus),  common,  perma- 
nent resident. 

122.  Golden-crowned    Kinglet    (Regu- 

lus    satrapa    satrapa),     frequent, 
winter  visitant. 

123.  Ruby-crowned    Kinglet    (Regulus 

calendula     calendula),     frequent, 
migrant. 

124.  Wood  Thrush  (Hylocichla  muste- 

lina),     abundant,     summer     resi- 
dent. 

125.  Veery       (Hylocichla       fuscescens 

fuscescens),      common,      summer 
resident. 

126.  Gray-cheeked  or  Bicknell  Thrush 

(Hylocichla  alicia  alicitz  or  Hy- 
locichla   alicia    bicknelli),    occa- 


150    THE  BIRDS  OF  SOMERSET  HILLS 

sional,  five  seen  in  one  day  in 
spring  of  1910,  migrant. 

127.  Olive-backed  Thrush  (Hylocichla 

ustulata  swainsoni),  occasional, 
migrant. 

128.  Hermit  Thrush   (Hylocichla  gut- 

tata  pallasi),  frequent,  migrant. 

129.  Robin      (Planesticus      migratorius 

migratorius),  abundant,  summer 
resident,  rare  in  winter. 

130.  Bluebird      (Sialia     sialis     stalls), 

abundant,  summer  resident,  occa- 
sional in  winter. 

131.  Common  Pheasant  (Phaslanus  col- 

chlcus  +  torquatus),  frequent, 
about  one  hundred  are  liberated 
annually;  several  nests  recorded. 

132.  English  Sparrow  (Passer  domesti- 

cus),  abundant,  permanent  resi- 
dent. 


Tree  Swallow 


Barn  Swallow 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE  HORRORS  OF  THE  TAKING 
OF  AIGRETTES 

THE  beautiful  plumes  so  frequently 
seen  on  a  lady's  hat  are  aigrettes,  taken 
from  the  backs  of  the  American  and 
Snowy  Egrets.  Where  did  she  get  them? 
From  the  retail  milliner,  who  buys 
them  from  the  wholesale  supply  house, 
which  secures  them  from  the  plume- 
hunter,  actually,  the  Egret  Slaughterer. 
The  story  of  how  the  latter  gets  the 
plumes  is  as  follows:  After  selecting 
a  roost,  he  shoots  the  adult  birds,  which 
have  nests  in  the  vicinity,  for  he  shoots 
the  birds  only  during  the  breeding 
season,  as  that  is  the  only  time  at  which 
the  plumes  are  worn.  He  slaughters 


152  THE  BIRDS  OF 

them  by  the  hundred,  and  leaves  their 
young  to  die  of  starvation,  after  untold 
agony.  Sometimes  before  the  birds  are 
dead,  their  backs  are  torn  off,  and  they 
are  left  to  die  and  be  eaten  by  insects. 
In  South  America,  wounded  birds  are 
propped  up  to  attract  the  attention  of 
passing  birds,  and  sometimes  the  red 
ants  eat  the  eyes  out  of  the  wounded 
birds.  The  young  call  for  food  until 
they  are  too  weak  to  stand,  and  then 
die. 

All  assertions  by  milliners  that  the 
plumes  are  artificial  or  have  been 
moulted  are  false.  It  is  impossible  at 
the  present  time  to  imitate  them  satis- 
factorily, and  after  being  dropped  by 
the  birds,  they  are  unfit  for  use. 

Shall  we  let  the  birds  be  extermi- 
nated? Do  you  realize  that  a  prom- 
inent scientist  has  said:  "I  will  go  on 
record  to  say  that  one  kind  of  bird  be- 


SOMERSET  HILLS  153 

comes  extinct  every  week,"  and  this  is 
caused  by  man. 

Over  $700,000,000  annually  is  saved 
to  agriculture  through  the  birds. 

Egrets  gather  in  colonies  during  the 
nesting  season,  and  are  therefore  easily 
killed.  Originally  the  plumes  are  white, 
but  they  are  dyed  all  colors. 

The  Buffalo  and  Wild  Pigeon,  which 
were  formerly  abundant,  are  now  prac- 
tically, if  not  wholly  extinct.  The 
Egrets  will  soon  follow  them,  if  imme- 
diate care  is  not  taken. 

Both  Ex-President  and  Mrs.  Roose- 
velt, and  Queen  Alexandra,  have  ex- 
pressed their  disapproval  of  the  use  of 
Aigrettes. 

How  can  the  slaughter  of  Egrets  for 
their  plumes  be  stopped?  In  two  ways: 
first,  by  women  refusing  to  buy  them, 
and  second,  by  stationing  wardens  at  the 
various  colonies  of  Egrets,  during  the 


154  THE  BIRDS  OF  SOMERSET  HILLS 

few  months  in  summer,  while  they  are 
nesting.  The  National  Association  of 
Audubon  Societies,  1974  Broadway, 
New  York  City,  employs  special  men 
to  guard  the  colonies,  and  the  cost  of 
membership  in  this  society  is  $5.00  an- 
nually. All  the  money  goes  to  the  pro- 
tection of  birds. 

Can  we,  a  civilized  nation,  afford  to 
allow  this  cruelty  to  continue?  Will 
not  some  of  the  readers  of  this  book 
become  members  of  the  Audubon 
Society? 


INDEX 

Page  number  in  italics  indicates  principal  reference;  in  black 
figures,  colored  plates 

Blackbird,  Red-winged,  j<?,  107,  no,  117,  121,  139 

11          Rusty,  83,  <?7,  in,  117,  121,  140 
Bluebird,  44,  97,  102,  109,  118,  127,  150 
Bobolink,  115,  121,  139 
Bob-white,  104 

Bunting,  Indigo,  23,  23,  32,  103,  107,  114,  123,  143 
Cardinal,  jj,  107,  123,  143 

Catbird,  20,  43,  83,  90,  103,  108,  112,  116,  126,  148 
Chat,  Yellow-breasted,  83,  9^?,  93,  94,  108,  113,  125,  147 
Chebec,  31 

Chickadee,  45,  97,  103,  108,  126,  149 
Coot,  117,  119,  135 

Cowbird, 32,  33,  87,  107,  in,  118,  121,  139 
Creeper,  63 

"        Brown,  64,  in,  126,  148 
Crow,  20,  30,  66,  67,  68,  102,  107,  121,  139 
Cuckoos,  103 
Cuckoo,  European,  32 

Black-billed,  27,  28,  115,  120,  137 
"       Yellow-billed,  27,  28,  120,  137 
Dove,  Mourning,  20,  25,  27,  103,  106,  in,  118,  119,  135 
Ducks,  51 

Duck,  White  Pekin,  54 
Eagle,  Bald,  83,  84,  120,  136 
Egret,  Snowy,  151,  153 
Finches,  40 

Finch,  Purple,  43,  47,  112,  122,  140 
Flicker,  Northern,  ^9,  29,  106,  in,  117,  120,  138 

155 


156  INDEX 

Flycatchers,  18,  31,  103 

Flycatcher,  Acadian,  115,  121,  139 

"  Crested,  j>/,  106,  113,  121,  138 

11  Least,  j/,  107,  112,  121,  139 

Geese,  41 

Goldfinch,  34,  42,  47,  102,  107,  122,  140 

Goose,  Canada,  .5^,  112,  119,  134 

Goshawk,  66 

Grackle,  20,  47,  68,  107,  no,  117,  121 
"        Bronzed,  47,  140 
"        Purple,  ^7,  140 

Grebes,  54 

Grebe,  Horned,  117,  118,  134 
Pied-billed,  115 

Grosbeak,  Rose-breasted, 3*9, 46,  57,  102,  113,  116,  123,  143 

Grouse,  Ruffed,  104 

Hawks,  30,  65,  66,  72,  73,  103 

Hawk,  Broad-winged,  120,  136 
"      Cooper's,  66 
"      Duck,  66,  117,  120,  136 

Fish,  52 
"       Hen,  66 

"      Marsh,  7^,  103,  in,  119,  135,  136 
"      Red-shouldered,  66,  7.2,  73,  103,  119,  136 
"      Red-tailed,  66,  7^,  73.  103,  119,  135,  136 
"      Sharp-shinned,  65,  66,  119,  131,  136 
"      Sparrow,  27,  75%  102,  120,  136,  145 

Herons,  51 

Heron,  Black-crowned  Night,  52,  102,  114,  116,  119,  134 
**       Great  Blue, 57,  52,  102,  in,  115,  116,  119,  134 
"       Green,  52,  103,  106,  in,  in,  117,  119,  134 

Hummingbird,  Ruby-throated,  75,  7^,  79,  103,  114,  121, 

138,  145 

Jay,  Blue,  68t  69,  102,  121,  139 

Junco,  Slate-colored,  40,  41,  42,  94,  122,  142 

Killdeer,  83,  84,  115,  117,  119,  135 


INDEX  157 

Kingbird,  jo,  33,  106,  114,  121,  138 

Kingfisher,  Belted,  51,  52,  jj,  57,  103,  106,  in,  118,  120, 

137 

Kinglets,  39 

Kinglet,  Golden-crowned,  jp,  91,  126,  149 

44        Ruby-crowned,  j?,  91,  108,  in,  118,  126,  149 
Mallard,  34,  102,  105,  106,  112,  118,  134 
Martin,  Purple,  123,  143 

Meadowlark,  21,  23,  24,  102,  107,  118,  121,  140 
Mockingbird,  43 

Nighthawk,  75,  83,  86,  116,  120,  138 
Nuthatch,  20,  36,  62,  63 

11         Red-breasted,  62,  63,  64,113,  117,  126,  149 
44         White-breasted,  62,  103,  108,  126,  127,  148 
Orioles,  102 
Oriole,  Baltimore,  41,^6,  107,  112,  118,  121,  140 

"      Orchard,  41,  46,  107,  113,  121,  140 
Osprey,  52,  jj>,  102,  in,  117,  120,  136 
Ovenbird,  70,  103,  108,  113,  116,  125,  147 
Owl,  Hoot,  65 

"     Screech,  64,  65,  103,  120,  131,  137 
Pewee,  Wood,  20,  j^,  106,  114,  115,  121,  138 
Pheasant,  Common,  102,  106,  in,  117 
Phosbe,  18,  35,  106,  in,  116,  121,  138 
Pigeon,  Passenger,  25,  26,  27 

'*       Wild,  25,  153 
Plover,  Upland,  119,  135 
Redpoll,  83,  88,  89,  122,  140 
Redstart,  33,  35,  36,  73,  108,  112,  116,  126,  148 
Red-wing,  51,  58,  59,  87 

Robin,  15,  77,  17,  19,  71,  102,  109,  no,  118,  127,  150 
Sandpipers,  55 

Sandpiper,  Solitary,  83,  84,  106,  113,  119,  135 
Spotted,  55,  105,  106,  113,  119,  135 
Sapsucker,  Yellow-bellied,  28,  29,  in,  117,  120,  137 
Shrike,  Northern,  123,  144 


158  INDEX 

Siskin,  Pine,  83,  88,  89,  no,  118,  122,  141 

Snipe,  55 

Sparrows,  40,  41,  43 

Sparrow,  Chipping,  18,  19,  20,  22,  32,  94,  102,  107,  in, 

117,  122,  141 

English,  75,  16,  73,  102,  107 
44        Field,  20,  <?/,  103,  107,  in,  117,  122,  142 
*'        Fox,  41,  no,  118,  122,  142 
"        Grasshopper,  22,  104,  107,  113,  122,  141 
44        Lincoln's,  107,  114,  122,  142 
"        Savanna,  112 

44        Song,  18,  19,  21,  102,  107,  122,  142 
"        Swamp,  103,  112,  118,  122,  142 
"        Vesper,  21,  103,  107,  in,  122,  141 
"        Tree,  19,  122,  141 

*'        White-crowned,  83,  8gy  90,  107,  114,  122,  141 
"        White-throated,  40,  89,  118,  122,  141 

Starling,  /j,  16,  101,  107,  121,  139 

Swallow,  Bank,  57,  104 

41        Barn,  79,  80,  81,  82,  108,  112,  123,  143,  151 
"        Chimney,  75,  76,  78 
44        Cliff,  79,  80,  81,  104,  108,  113,  123,  143 
44        Eave,  81 

"        Rough- winged,  57,  103,  108,  114,  123,  144 
44        Tree,  79,  80,  104,  112,  116,  123,  144,  151 
White-bellied,  80 

Swift,  Chimney,  75,  78,  102,  106,  113,  115,  120,  138 

Tanager,  Scarlet,  77,  107,  112,  123,  143 

Thrasher,  Brown,  41,  43,  83,  104,  108,  in,  116,  126,  148 

Thrushes,  60 

Thrush,  Brown,  44 

44        Bicknell's,  99,  100,  115,  126,  149 
"        Grey-cheeked,  83,  99,  100,  115,  126,  149 
<4         Hermit,  41,  61,  no,  117,  123,  127,  150 
44        Olive-backed,  83,  99,  100,  115,  127,  150 
44        Wood,  20,  60,  61,  103,  113,  115,  126,  149 


INDEX  159 

Towhee,  40,  42,  103,  107,  112,  117,  122,  142 
Veery,  61,  109,  114,  123,  126,  149 
Vireos,  32,  38,  90,  91 
Vireo,  Blue-headed,  112,  123,  144 
44      Philadelphia,  115,  123,  144 

Red-eyed,  38,  103,  108,  114,  117,  123,  144 
44      Warbling,  20,  83,  90,  103,  108,  113,  123,  144 
44       White-eyed,  83,  90,  91,  108,  113,  124,  145 
44      Yellow-throated,  j><?,  103,  113,  115,  123,  144 
Vulture,  Turkey,  74,  101,  106,  no,  118,  119,  135 
Warblers,  32,  35,  36,  70,  98,  103 
Warbler,  Bay-breasted,  114,  124,  146 

Black-and-White,  20,  35,  36,  37,  103,  108,  112, 

116,  124,  145 
44        Blackburnian,  112,  116,  125,  146 

Black-poll,  35,  37,  99,  114,  117,  125,  146 
44        Black-throated  Blue,  35,  ^7,  65,  108,  116,  124, 

145 
Black-throated  Green,  35,^7,  65,  113,  117,  125, 

146 

44        Blue-winged,  83,  91,  113,  124,  145 
44        Brewster's,  91 

44        Canada,  83,  97,  98,  114,  116,  126, 147 
44        Cape  May,  115,  124,  145 
44        Chestnut-sided,  jj",  99,  103,  108,  113,  115,  124, 

146 

44        Golden-winged,  91,  114 
44        Hooded,  in,  125,  147 
44        Lawrence's,  91 

Magnolia,  83,  q8,  113,  116,  124,  146 
Myrtle,  35,  36,  73,  96,  98,  99,  112,  117,  124,  146 
44        Nashville,  124,  145 

4*        Northern  Parula,  83,  97,  112,  116,  124,  145 
44        Palm,  97 

Pine,  83,94,  95,  96,  116,  125,  146 
44        Wilson's,  114,  125,  147 


i6o  INDEX 

Warbler,  Yellow,  j>5,  57,  103,  108,  112,  124,  145 

Yellow  Palm,  83,  96,  in,  117,  125,  147 
Water-Thrushes,  56,  98,  103,  125 
Water-Thrush,  Louisiana,  56,  in,  125,  147 
"  Northern,  56,  114,  125,  147 

Waxwing,  Cedar,  33,  j^,  103,  108,  114,  116,  123,  144 
Weaver,  Orange,  23 
Whip-poor-will,  75,  86,  87 
Woodpeckers,  44,  63,  102 

Woodpecker,  Downy,  29,  63,  106,  120,  127,  137 
"  Golden-winged,  29 

Hairy,  29,  63,  64,  102,  120,  137 
"  Red-headed,  83,  85,  102,  120,  138 

Wren,  Carolina,  112,  126,  148 

"      House,  /jr,  16,  17,  23,  43,  103,  108,  113,  126,  148 
"      Winter,  16,  126,  148 
Yellow-legs,  114,  119,  135 

Yellow-throat,  Maryland,  58,  103,  108,  113,  116, 117,  125, 

147 


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